Revenge of the Red Death's Heir
by Arwen the Storyteller
Summary: It has been five months since Hester, her Best friends and Toothless left Berk to spend time away from Berk. As they wonder when they will return, they encounter two very mysterious dragons. During their encounter, a threat begins to rise on Berk threatening to destroy the peace between Vikings and dragons again. Will they be willing to go back to Berk and save the fragile peace?
1. The Island Hideway

**The Beginnings:**

"_It has been five long endless months since her very best friends Sigmund and Garsir, her Night Fury Toothless (who I call my dragon brother) and I left Berk. _

_Although we had finally bought peace between our tribe and dragon kind, I felt I couldn't face the faces of those who mistreated me and those I loved the most, our whole lives. _

_I wanted to leave to be alone until I was ready. And wherever I go, my boys come too. _

_We had sworn to return one day. But not just yet. For the time being, we just wanted to enjoy the freedom that we were all experiencing. _

"Whoo hooo!" Hester screamed cheerfully into the wind as Toothless was doing twirling tricks in the air.

"This is scary but in a fun way!" Sigmund screamed as he clutched his grip tight around her waist.

"Just enjoy it!" Garsir cheered as he waved his arms in the air behind him.

The three riders astride the Toothless were enjoying a wonderful morning flight around the small island that they had taken refuge in for the past five months.

They loved to fly out during first light where the sky colours would turn from a morning orange to a bright morning blue. Other than that, when the daylight turned to dark nightlight they would fly invisibly in the sky across the light of the full moon.

"This is so FUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNN!" Hester cheered.

"**Enjoy it!" **Toothless roared encouragingly. He really adored his new tail aside from his new comfortable saddle. He loved his human sister Hester so much. He also cared a great deal for Sigmund and Garsir.

An hour later, Toothless flew back down to their small refuge island. It was a small yet simply beautiful one. There was a grand forest grove with colourful trees, a freshwater lake with lily pads where they would drink and also swim about and a glorious beach to relax in. Near the beach was a small cave.

Inside this cave was a fireplace made of stones and sticks with a cauldron hanging over the top, some mattresses with blankets and pillows and their baskets containing their supplies.

The three humans and the Night Fury walked inside, carrying a large net full of freshly caught fish as well as some apples that they had picked from the trees.

They settled down the net of fish and the small basket of apples.

Whilst Sigmund started chopping up the fish into small pieces and dropped them into the cauldron and she cut up the apples in separate slices and putting them into bowls, Garsir lit up the fire and dumped the remaining fish into a small pile for Toothless.

Immediately Toothless started gauging on the fish like a hungry pig. He loved fish of all sorts. He loved them all so much that he didn't have a favourite.

The fish in the cauldron was cooked into a delicious soup. It was poured into some bowls and around the fire comfortably seated, the three Best Vikings Forever sipped it down. They then munched and chewed on their healthy apple slices.

They were delicious.

"Nothing like a tasty fish soup in the morning," Hester said after settling down her bowl and she laid against Toothless.

"This is by far my most favourite soup," Garsir said once he sipped from his bowl as if it was a cup.

"You mean the only soup you love, considering other soups aren't your type," Sigmund joked earning a playful glare from his best boy pal.

"Well..." Sigmund stood up and walked over to a large cave wall. "Another day bites the dust," Sigmund scrapped a line on their large tally chart that recorded all the days they had spent upon arriving.

The other three behind him stared at him longingly. All those days away from Berk seemed to have taken a toll on them. The lofty number of lines made them reflect on every day that they didn't feel ready to go back.

Sigmund took a seat back where he was. They just stayed where they were. Silent and still as statues as thoughts filled their minds.

"I miss my father," Garsir's depressed voice broke the silence. He was twiddling with the bone belt buckle that his father had given him on the day they left.

Sigmund held a sad solemn face to him. He placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I miss my parents too – even if I didn't say goodbye to them," Sigmund admitted.

"Why didn't you go and say goodbye to them?" Hester asked gently. She had always wondered about that question.

"**Yeah. Why didn't you?"** Toothless wobbled.

"Because of what they did to you Hester," Sigmund told her as he turned to her. "I didn't know how I could face them either,"

"I can't help but feel a bit homesick too," Hester confessed. "I know that…life was never the best there but…" she didn't finish. She didn't know what to say.

"It's okay Hester," Sigmund consoled. "Even I feel the same way,"

"Me too," Garsir added in before taking a bite out of the final apple slice on one of their plates. "Life wasn't always so bad back there,"

"You guys were the only family and happiness I ever had," Hester wholeheartedly said to them. "It was always being with you guys that kept me going back there. But ever since peace was brought and since I woke up…" she hung her head down and stared at her prosthetic leg. A painful reminder of what she had endured through to save those she loved. "I don't know if I can live up to having another kind of happiness with people who never respected me or you guys,"

"When do you think we'll be ready to go back?" Sigmund asked gently, once another long moment of silence had passed.

"I'm still not sure," Hester confessed a bit agitated.

"**It'll be okay. You'll see,"** Toothless licked her cheek and she kissed his head. **"Until then we'll all stick together,"**

This brightened up Hester's spirit a bit.

"**Why don't we go for a swim?"** Toothless offered.

"Let's do it," Hester agreed instantly. 'What do you guys say about going swimming? Way to lift up our spirits," she asked eagerly to her boys.

"Yes!" They both exclaimed together. "Jinx!"

"One day we will go back," Hester promised. "But for the time being, we'll stick together forever and enjoy what we have,"

The group of four rushed out of the cave and sprinted straight towards the freshwater lake. They jumped and SPLASH.

They all got damp and wet but started tossing water at one another and swimming about.


	2. Back on Berk

**Back on Berk:**

Not too far away from that island hideaway was Berk. There were Vikings and dragons living amongst the village.

The torches once used to keep dragons away were now pilled with dozens and dozens of fish where dragons could munch from them as much as they wanted, there were stables where they could nap, they even had drinking troughs.

Everyone loved having either a Deadly Nadder, a Monstrous Nightmare, a Gronkle or a Zippleback as a loyal companion. Gothi even took to have a small pack of five Terrible Terror siblings as pets. They would nest on her bed and sleep with her every night.

Near her house inside her dragon stable, Astrid was feeding fish to her Deadly Nadder who she had named Stormfly. She was so happy to have such a close bond with such a brave noble creature.

Snotlout enjoyed the company of his new Monstrous Nightmare Hookfang. Though Hookfang had an annoying habit of playing tricks on him like setting his bum on fire.

Fishlegs loved hugging and feeding his new Gronkle Meatlug. And of course, the Twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut loved to blow up stuff and cause mischief still with their Zippleback: Barf and Belch.

From outside the front door, Stoick stood outside. He watched over his village with a small simple smile. He was elated that there was peace and happiness amongst his people. He was proud that the War was finally over. He couldn't be prouder of the person who had bought it here. But unfortunately, she wasn't here.

Aside from feeling a bit happy from seeing his people happy and no longer in danger from starvation for winter (that passed by in a blur for the past five months), he was heartbroken, lonely, and most importantly ashamed of himself. He missed his daughter Hester. He began to believe that she didn't miss him.

He had disowned her, not treated her the way a father should to his only child and had harmed her in the most selfish ways imaginable. All because he couldn't accept her for who she was and didn't listen to her. He had never gotten a chance to apologise to her after she woke up from her coma. She never would have even wanted to come and see him anyway. He wasn't even sure if she would ever forgive him. He wasn't exactly expecting it either.

After all, he felt unworthy of her forgiveness and love; just like Garsir and Sigmund had lashed out those words to him about as they berated him for his unfair treatment. He would often shut himself away in his house and sit down. He would lament over his wrongdoings, feeling the pressure of Garsir and Sigmund's retorts at him crushing his mind.

Gobber had shut himself away as well. He increasingly worried about his son, Hester and Sigmund every day and every night. He prayed to the gods that Toothless was keeping them safe from any harm. There were more dangers in the world aside from dragons like the Red Death. He was glad he had given Garsir his bone buckle for him to remember him by; at least until he would return with the others.

Outside under the sun, the five teenagers with their dragons were sitting at the edge of the village, relaxing on the grass. Astrid grazed a rock on her axe. Fishlegs read a book. Snotlout was whistling. And Ruff and Tuff were lying down on the grass looking at clouds.

They were all quiet as mice. Even the dragons, who were resting were too. Fishlegs couldn't continue reading and settled the book down. He leaned against his sleeping Gronkle and she didn't mind at all. He inhaled deeply and then exhaled loudly.

Astrid heard his intake and out breathing of air and turned to him. She

"Are you alright Fishlegs?" she asked. Ever since peace was made with the dragons, she had started to become kinder and more generous around others.

"I'm worried about my brother," Fishlegs lamented. "I pray to Odin that he is alive and out there safe with Hester and Garsir. I never should have resented him at all. He was only a boy. Lost. With no family. No home. And I misjudged him for being doted more than myself,"

"That's not as worse as hurting someone by putting your own wants before theirs," Astrid said to him, reminding herself of how her own selfish desire to be the best in training and anything ended her friendship with Hester and Garsir. "I focused on restoring my family honour that I became cruel and unkind to Garsir and Hester. I hurt them in the most unforgiveable way imaginable. I'm just Sigmund came along to heal them of that pain,"

"Sometimes I just wish I could take it all back," Fishlegs wished.

"At least I didn't do anything wrong," Snotlout boasted innocently.

"Oh really?" Astrid turned to him with fiery fury roaming in her eyes, ready to blast out at him. "You call bullying and treating Hester like garbage as not wrong?"

"You should be ashamed of yourself for thinking like that Snotlout," Fishlegs pointed out.

"**Yeah Snotlout,"** Hookfang whipped him in the but and he rolled down the hill into a pit.

"You know I kind of miss seeing Hester and her best friends design all those call inventions," Tuffnut admitted.

"Yeah. I've always wanted to invent cool machines just like them," Ruffnut said as well.

Barf and Belch nuzzled their heads in attempt to soothe their guilt.

"The truth is guys…we were all screw-ups. It was never Hester that was the problem. We were just all caught up in our wants and desires – that we never noticed how much Hester, Sigmund and Garsir were having problems,"

"As much as I hate to admit it, but Astrid is right," Snotlout confessed.

"I wish there was something we could do," Fishlegs lamented.

"What can we do?" Ruffnut asked.

"We could just wait until they come back and we can say that we're sorry and wish to move on," Tuffnut instantly answered out without thinking.

Everyone looked at him with dark eyes. "What?"

Ruffnut punched him in the shoulder side.

"Ow!"

"Tuffnut – sorry isn't gonna make them forgive us straight away," Astrid pointed out. "It takes more than saying that word to prove you're truly ashamed of your actions towards someone,"

"Hey kids," Gobber's voice alerted them.

"Hey Gobber," they all greeted back.

"How are you doing?" Fishlegs asked.

"I miss my boy. I miss Sig and Hester too. I pray that they are safe,"

"They'll be safe Gobber. At least they've got Toothless," Astrid attempted to lift up his spirits. "He'll keep them safe,"

"I hope so. Who knows what other dangers could be out there that maybe we don't know of," Gobber's voice was grim and worried.

"How's Stoick doing?" Fishlegs asked.

"He's coping with it,"

"We hardly ever see him," Snotlout reminded.

"Well, what can you expect? He was after a bad father to dear Hester," Tuffnut reminded too.

Everyone including his twin eyed him tensely again.

"What?"

"Tuffnut – we have to take the facts seriously and not make any fun about it or think badly of others more than ourselves," Astrid told him. "We were all equally guilty,"

"How's Stoick doing?" Fishlegs asked.

"He's doing alright. He probably feels the most guilt out of all of us. I go and visit him every night to try and get him to walk out for some air. But – it seems to never work,"

He looked up to their chief's hut. Everyone mimicked his action. They all wondered he was doing right now. He wasn't outside the entrance.

He had gone back inside.

"Shall we go talk to him?" Snotlout asked.

"It's best if we just leave him alone," Gobber answered. "If I wouldn't be able to talk to him," He turned his gaze back to everyone. "Look guys, we don't know where they are. We don't even know if they're coming back,"

"But the letter…" Astrid reminded. They had put in the letter that they were returning home one day when they were ready.

"Just because they put it down in the letter, doesn't mean it might actually be true," Gobber forced himself.

"Well if they don't return soon, then we'll go and get them," Tuffnut punched his fist in the air. "Who else will?!"

"Tuffnut – we cannot just go and find them and ask them to come back. 'Hello, will you guys come back? We miss you!' It won't work like that," Fishlegs pointed out.

"Well, what can we do?" Tuffnut asked.

No one answered.

The day passed by quickly and everyone went back into their houses. Their dragons went to sleep inside their stables. The five teens found it difficult to sleep considering that their minds and hearts were will with all worry for Hester, Sigmund, Garsir and Toothless. Every night since they left, they would pray that they would return home safely and give them a chance to make up for their selfishness towards them. But it all seemed to be just a dream. A dumb useless dream that wouldn't come true. Eventually, they fell asleep.

Midnight came to pass with the bright moon hanging high above Berk in the sun's usual resting place.

Inside his house, Stoick hadn't moved a single muscle from his chair. He had been crying very gently. He didn't want any comfort as he felt underserving of it. He worried wholeheartedly for his daughter wondering if perhaps there was the slightest chance that she was thinking about him. But that was very unlikely.

She was just probably having the time of her life with her best friends and Night Fury.

He also wondered about what his deceased wife Valka would think of him. She would be ashamed and devasted with him for what he had put Hester through.

_Why wasn't I a better father in the first place? Why did I act like I didn't love her? Why did I have to put her down so much?_ Stoick began to sing a song that he yearned to sing out loud, hoping that somehow the gods could hear him and perhaps

**Stoick: **

_Why did I put her down__  
__What couldn't I accept her?__  
__Why did I go on concealing__  
__all the love that I was feeling?_

_Now I'll never get to say__  
__All the things I should have said__  
__Now there's no more love, just echos of__  
__A life I wish we had_

_If I could have another chance__  
__If she was here sitting with me_

For a moment, he stood up from his stool and he imagined Hester standing right there at his door. He imagined her smiling at him instead of feeling hatred towards him. He imagined her running up to him into his arms, willing to forgive him for being a bad father. He yearned to kiss her head and tell how much he loved her and that he was so proud of her for bring peace between dragons and Vikings.

_"I'd show her how much I love her__  
__But now it is too late"_

The apparition he was imagining disappeared out of reality and he was alone again. As he continued lamenting on in song form, he walked outside into the quiet village that was dark. The only light was the bright full moon illuminating the dark ceiling above Berk. He walked slowly and continued on.

_Maybe if I understood__  
__Maybe if I wasn't mad__  
__Maybe things could somehow be better__  
__But now she'll never know_

_If I could have another chance__  
__If I could turn back time, I would_

He made it to the hilly cliffs that overlooked the village. He started up at the moon.

_If we could just fix things right up __  
__How I wish we could_

_Wish I could have her back__  
__But now she's gone for good_

_Wish I had another chance_

She kneeled down on the grass and looked down. Eventually, he fell asleep on the grass and dozed off dreaming what he wished could be possible.


	3. A Night time Visitor

**A Night-time visitor:**

Hester, Sig, Garsir and Toothless had enjoyed a wonderful fun day together relaxing, swimming and splashing in the pool and flying. They were all asleep inside the cave. Toothless curled his body around his Hester as she laid on her mattress. He laid his right wing over her like a blanket as she leaded to the side of his head. Sig and Garsir were comfortable on their mats with blankets draped over them.

The night was quiet and somewhat cold. Nothing seemed to be moving outside. Until a giant flying skeleton creature swooped down and landed on the beach. It was in fact a dragon, but it looked like a living skeleton with scaly wings that had bone muscles showing out.

It began stalking across the sand towards a cave on the other side. It growled softly.

Toothless's eyes flicked up. So did his ear appendages. He lifted his head up being careful not to wake Hester up. He turned his head towards the entrance. He growled gently.

Something was out there. He narrowed his eyes hoping to get a better look.

Hester's head stirred when he heard silent growling. Her eye lids lifted, and she saw Toothless's head staring outwards to the entrance.

"Toothless…?" she muttered tiredly. "What's wrong?"

Toothless heard her and turned back to her. "Nothing's wrong," he shook his head. "Go back to sleep,"

But Hester didn't fall for his fib. She knew him too well. "Please tell me what's wrong," she whispered.

"**I think there's something outside," **

"Shall we go and check outside together?"

"**You need your beauty sleep Hester,"**

"I don't mind being up just for a little while. It'll fine,"

"**Okay,"**

The Night Fury and his person tiptoed out the cave. Hester took one of their lit-up lanterns and they exited the cave.

Once they were outside, they saw nothing. Nothing but the dark watery tide pulling in and out to sea and the group of trees in front of the beach.

"I don't see anything," Hester told her dragon.

"**You don't have to see something in order to it to be there,"** Toothless reminded her. **"I know I can sense something around here,"**

Hester narrowed her eyes and tried to see if there was anything hiding in the shadows around them.

Just when she thought she was imagining things; she felt a wave of tingling roaming through her body. She shuddered.

"**What's the matter Hester?"** Toothless asked.

"I don't know bud. I just felt this tingle in my body. I couldn't help but feel something was nearby,"

"**Do you still fell it?"**

Hester was silent for a second. Then she shuddered again. "Yes. I think I sense something above us,"

Suddenly a gigantic dragon made completely out of bone swooped to the ground, confirming her words. Toothless roared defensively. **"Leave us alone!"**

He shot at the bone dragon but due to its bone armour, it wasn't physically harmed. It threw a fireball of fire from its mouth and Toothless pulled Hester to safety. It then tried to slam them with its ginormous tail that looked like a mace but with its sharp end made of bones instead of spikes. It missed them but it broke a huge chunk of rock from the cave wall. It accidently smashed the cave again and a small rubble started to fall.

"**Get the boys!" **Toothless ordered to Hester. "We're leaving this place!"

Before Hester could argue to him, Toothless charged at the bone dragon and started to wrestle with it.

Hester sprinted back inside the cave. "Come on guys!" she screamed to the boys. Garsir and Sigmund had jolted up.

"Hester, what is it?!" they shouted.

"There's a bone dragon outside wrestling Toothless. We need to leave,"

Just that instant, the cave started rumbling. Millions of pieces of rock began to fall from the ceiling, not only that but the earth was shaking.

"Now!"

They all quickly grabbed their baskets and their mattresses and blankets. They sprinted out of the cave just as the shaking cave (caused by none other than an earthquake) collapsed behind them. It was quite difficult considering the fact that they were running on vibrating earth.

The boy's eyes widened when they saw Toothless wrestling the huge dragon made of bone. Garsir's eyes widened the most once his eyes were glued to that dragon.

The shaking earth caused Toothless and his opponent to fall off one another. The shaking also made Hester and the boys lose their balance too. As the bone dragon struggled to stand up and it kept bobbing up and down on its back due to the shaking, it's eyes widened when it saw small bone pendent hanging round Garsir's neck.

Toothless managed to blast three plasma blast that knocked the dragon backwards.

Managing to gain their strength back, the Trio managed to all get onto Toothless's back and he took off into the night.

The dragon roared and pursued behind.

"It's gaining on us!" Sigmund shouted.

"It won't in the dark! Toothless time to disappear!" Hester ordered.

"**You got it Hester!"** Toothless rocketed into the sky with the bone dragon trailing behind it.

Seconds later, vamoose!

The Night Fury and his riders disappeared into dark of the night into the misty black clouds.

The dragon peered round searching for them, mainly for the blond-haired boy with the bone pendent.

"**Curses!"** it groaned in an angry male voice**. "I'll find them,"** He took off in a different direction.

The hidden dragon and his riders observed what they saw from above.

"What dragon was that?" Hester asked them all.

"That was a Boneknapper. Don't you remember it from when we looked through the Book of Dragons?" Garsir asked.

"No," Hester shook her head.

"I kept believe we were actually attacked by one,"

"I can't believe we were almost killed by an earthquake," Sigmund breathed out.

"Well, it's gone now. Let's just go and find another island to take refuge on," Hester said.

Toothless started flying across the sky peering down to look for another island. It was dark, but it wouldn't be too hard for him to find one.

"I only hope it doesn't follow us," Garsir prayed as he twisted his head and looked back.

"Why would it follow us?" Sigmund asked.

"My dad encountered that dragon before," Garsir informed. "Ever since he first met it when he was a child, it followed him all his life,"

"Your father Gobber encountered this dragon?" Hester breathed out.

"Yes, he did. When I was a boy, he told me stories every night about his adventures of his encounters with that beast. It all started ever since he found a strange treasure when he was a kid himself,"

"Please tell us these stories," Sigmund begged. "We've gotta hear them,"

Garsir's considered for a long moment as he saw the two soft-begging pairs of eyes from the twist heads of his BFF's Sigmund and Hester.

"I'll tell you,"

"Yes!" the others pumped their first in the air.

"Okay. It all started when he was seven," Garsir began.


	4. Gobber and the Boneknapper

**Gobber and the Boneknapper:**

(30 years ago)

On a large Viking ship with a long length, a family of three Vikings were sitting and sailing peacefully. The little boy and only child of the family was standing out at the rear, staring out across the great blue. He wore a yellow tunic with brown pants and a matching jacket. He was clutching a toy dragon to his chest, a toy that his mother had made for him when he was little.

The mother had long pigtails of dirty blonde, blue eyes and on top on her hair was a small Viking helmet. The father was a strong built man with bulging muscles, a long stripe of hair dangling from his sharp chin and a tuft of hair hanging from his head. He wore a brown tunic with a black jacket and matching bracers. He rowed and towed the ship to and fro with his wife's help.

"Isn't this the way to spend the summer together as a family?" the mother asked with wonder.

The young boy's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Yes! Mum! Yes!"

"And about time! I couldn't stand another minute on that island with those Jorgensons! Them and their…arrogant attitudes!"

His wife snorted at the thought of those pompous brattish Vikings.

"Don't forget the Hoffersons and their cynical attitudes too!" the mother sneered.

"Look mum! Look dad!" their son screamed excitedly. "Look! An island!"

His parents looked west and saw a large glimmering island that resembled a gigantic glacier.

"It's so beautiful," his mother admired. "Looks so shiny, like treasure,"

"This is a good sign," the father admired. "We shouldn't be too far from some other

"Dad! Pull over!" Gobber begged frantically. "I need to go to the bathroom,"

His father turned around and saw his son pressing his hands up his pants. Growling with annoyance, steered the boat and it docked.

"Didn't I tell you go before we left?!" he roared.

"Easy darling," Gerda soothed. "No need to be so hard on our dear son,"

"You know how much it annoys me that he does that all the time,"

"Just don't take too long!" she called over to her running sun.

Gobber dashed around the corner to a gigantic iceberg. He unzipped his pants and peed. He whistled a tune to add some humour. Once he was finished, he zipped up his pants and proceeded to board the ships again. Just when he did, his eyes captured a glance of a gigantic house wall. Behind that wall, lay an army of frozen Viking, motionless from their frozen muscles. Only their eyes darted from side to side and up and down.

What captured Gobber's attention more was a sparkilng golden chest, clutched in the hands of the frozen Viking right in front of him behind the wall. It glowed as bright as a golden star.

"Wow," Gobber's eyes fidgeted a bit. "I have to have it,"

"Gobber?!" his mother's voice screamed from a distant. "Are you done?!"

"I'm coming mother!" Gobber called. "Just one more minute please!"

He raised his axe and slammed its head into the wall. The wall cracked and shattered until a section of ice fell out, forming a hole. Gobber reached through slowly. He touched the surface of the lid in the box. It was smooth and a little rusty, but nevertheless golden. He gripped a firm tight on it. He tried to pull it out. But the moment he did, the frozen Viking, whose hand had a tight clasp at the box, started pulling his hand back.

_How can this Viking be alive? _Gobber thought startlingly. He had never in his life seen a seemingly dead Viking move a muscle.

The frozen Viking started punching him in the face with the box.

"OW! my tooth!" Gobber screamed. That pain riled him up like fire. "Let go! This is mine! This is my treasure! Leave my treasure ALONEEEEE!" With his might strength he heaved the box out of the frozen Viking's hand, and he fell back onto his butt.

"Ha ha! Finally!" he whooped with cheer. "It's mine! Mine at last!" _Now to get back before my mum gets mad. _

But before Gobber could even stand up, he heard a lurid roar filled the air. His ear drums started running. And a tingling feeling was moving under his skin. "What was that?" he asked himself. The more he could hear, the harder his heart hammered in his chest.

Instantly from out the clouds dived a ginormous dragon. It looked like a living skeleton with wings made of skin, a long tail with a mace made out of bones and the end, ragged horns, and the deepest darkest yellow of eyes that Gobber had ever seen. Gobber tried to scream but no words came out.

The dragon was diving closer to him. He staggered and attempted to run. But the skeleton dragon rammed its body into the wall of frozen Vikings, causing it to shatter and fall like an avalanche made of ice onto Gobber. Gobber screamed and tried to outrun it. To make matters worse he was heading right towards the ocean. His only hope was a heap of floating ice. Just before he could be squashed by the mass of falling ice blocks, he leapt across the sea and landed on the heap of ice. But in doing so, he lost his grip of the box and it rolled into the water. "The treasure!" he screamed. He reached into the freezing water…only to find the frozen Viking's body still inside the small iceberg, float up to the surface. Like before he had a tight grip on the chest. He punched the boy's face again.

"Hey, hey, hey!" he screamed. He pulled the box and for a second time won it from the frozen Vikings grip. His hairs stood up straight when the roar echoed in his ears again. He looked up and saw the Boneknapper roaring up above again. It wasn't goanna give up. In an instant, it folded its wings and as it fell, it somersaulted, and its mace-end tail went swinging into Gobber's source of floating. Gobber jumped to the side.

Once the mace hit the floating piece, it sent Gobber flying several feet through the air.

Gobber landed with a thud, back on the rear of his ship where his parents were waiting.

His father turned, surprised by his way of entrance. But his face turned into a frown. "What took you so long?" he questioned.

"I thought you'd be quicker than that Gobby-Pie," his mother moaned.

Gobber just hid the chest behind his back and chuckled nervously. "Sorry,"

(Present)

"And that is how my father found his treasure," Garsir finished.

"Wow. What a story," Hester said in wonder. "Did that frozen Viking really punch him? That sounds impossible,"

"That's what I thought," Sigmund agreed.

"Wow! Do you suppose that dragon continue pursuing your father?" Sigmund.

"**Did it?"** Toothless gurgled, twisting his head so that Garsir could lean his to the side a bit and meet his.

"Yep. That wasn't the last time that Gobber ever saw that dragon again. Over the years before he met my mother and had me, he continuously went into conflict that might bone beast,"

"Tell us some more," Sigmund pleaded. He was lover of stories, adventure stories filled of strange dragons and crazy stunts.

"Okay," Garsir gave in. "Ten years after he first encountered that dragon, my dad became stranded on an island, with only his broom. It was a very small island. It's no wonder the Boneknapper found my dear father again. The Boneknapper would never forget how he took that treasure,"

"How did he escape it?" Hester asked.

"There was another island. It was his only. But to make matters worse, he became surrounded by blood-thirsty hammerhead sharks! He had one option. He ran across the shark infested waters.

Hester suddenly burst into peals of laughter. Then Sigmund did.

"That's…that's…" Hester struggled to speak between her giggles. "That's ridiculous," her heart was hammering rapidly with all the giggling she was unintentionally putting herself through. "That is ridiciulous,"

"There's no way he could have done that," Sigmund agreed, struggling to control his laughter. He felt as if he was suffocating to death.

"But then, from the depths of the ocean leapt forth...a giant hammerhead whale!

"A hammerhead whale?" Sigmund questioned. "I thought those creatures were made up,"

"Did it eat the Boneknapper?" Hester asked.

"Almost, but unfortunately, it got away. Years later, the dragon hunted my dad down again and chased him into a jungle on an island he had gone to when looking for some metal ores for weapons. All he had was his trusty eggbeater. He claimed he carved through that thick brush as fast as a jungle cat. Still, the Boneknapper was right behind him. When he continued running, he found his way to the side of a volcano. He had no choice but to run up it,"

"Run up it?" Sigmund gasped. "I didn't think it was possible for anyone to run up a volcano. Wasn't it steep or boiling hot?"

"It did boil hot. But my father's determination to get away from that Boneknapper motivated him to do the dangerous. He courageously leapt across the fiery crater. Then, deep within the burning volcano burst forth a giant hammerhead yak!"

"Okay, wait a minute. Now you're saying a giant hammerhead yak leapt out of the fiery volcano?" Hester could not believe it. "There's no way a hammerhead yak jumped out of a fiery crater of a volcano! You're pulling our legs,"

"That's what I said when my father first told me to the story. And no matter how many times I tried to get him to tell the truth…he always claimed that it really did happen,"

"So did the yak eat the Boneknapper?" Sigmund asked.

"Still the dragon got away again! Gobber could not stand how that boney scoundrel would keep coming after him,"

"Let me guess. He laid out a trap?" Hester rhetorically guessed.

"Yep. My crafty talented father laid out a gauntlet of traps and waited for the beast. And when he was ready... he charged! And then he ran like the wind! But the traps failed! Then, captured, he did what he said that 'any brave Viking would do',"

"What did he do?"

"He screamed out: 'Help'!"

Sigmund and Hester frowned their eyebrows.

"He calls that being brave?" Hester asked.

"**Really?"** the unimpressed Toothless frowned. **"And I thought Vikings weren't cowardly,"**

"The Gods heard his prayers. Out the sky, the might god of thunder: Thor appeared. Then he threw down a might thunderbolt,"

"And it struck the Boneknapper?" Sigmund guess quickly.

"Nope," Garsir's voice raised at the p. "It struck the ground just below the cliff. My dad was discreet at first. He actually shouted up to him. 'You missed! How is that supposed to save me?' Thor then called down to him. 'Wait for it…wait for it…' From out of the ground blasted forth… The hammerhead yak riding the hammerhead whale!"

"Not possible,"

Toothless snorted. He turned his head back forward to focus on flying accurately.

"For a third time, the Boneknapper got away again!" Garsir voice's raised higher as he answered out.

"Oh come on," Sigmund complained.

"Oh Thor," Hester groaned.

"**If it had just died, I wouldn't be flying around for another island right now with your three on my back,"** Toothless groaned.

"Toothless!" the prudent Hester whined, intolerant of his groaning.

Toothless took it back. **"I didn't really mean that,"**

"Garsir, what exactly was the treasure that he found?" Sigmund asked. "Please tell us,"

"This bone that he gave me before we departed from Berk," Garsir showed them the t-shaped bone that his father had gifted him on the day they said their goodbyes to him.

"Wait? So the Boneknapper has been following Gobber…just to get back a small tiny bone?" Hester questioned oratorically. "What could be so important about that little bone. It was Gobber who found it. So it was Gobber who should keep it,"

"I'm glad he did," Garsir's turned soft and subtle, as he held up the reminder of his father. "He kept as a treasure and then gave it to me to keep as my treasure. I've never taken it off,"

His nose snuffled as he struggled to fight against the tears forming behind his eyes.

"Hey, pal it's okay," Sigmund consoled. "He's safe and sound back on Berk,"

"But he's probably more alone than ever," Garsir sniffled. "He's probably feeling the same way my mother felt when she died,"

"**It'll be alright,"** Toothless warbled sorrowfully. He turned his head so Garsir could see his sad green eyes. The night fury offered a weird sort of smile, a smile that seemed to lift Garsir's spirits a bit.

Sigmund turned his attention to the silent Hester sitting in front of him. She had turned quite at the subject of fathers. Sigmund wondered she thought of Stoick the Vast. Once back on Berk he saw a sturgeon man who wouldn't listen to his daughter. Then that day, on which the Red Death, the real cause of five generations of fighting had died, he saw a heart-broken man, ashamed, of being a failure of a father.

"Do you think your father misses you Hester?" he asked.

At the mention of her father, who to her now was an ex-father, Hester's soul stiffened. "No! He doesn't! He was probably glad the day we left!"

"Why would you ask that Sigmund?" Garsir criticised.

Sigmund ignored him. "Hester…" his words were slow. "I know that this subject is one you hate to talk about…but will you let me say this?"

Hester didn't answer. Then she turned back round to Sigmund with eyes of acceptance.

"This is something Garsir and I have been a bit reluctant to tell you. When we all thought you were dead, he actually cried,"

Hester didn't look surprised.

"He was ashamed of himself for what he acted like to you," Sigmund's words were true, thought they did little affect to lessen Hester's hatred.

"I just thought that with all the months we've spent out here and with that message we left behind to our families…."

"That I'm ready to give him another chance?" Hester finished glumly, flashing her head back forward. "Everything he has ever done to me…still haunts my mind. I can't even go to sleep peacefully on most nights without hearing his most hurtful words in my head,"

Sigmund tried to say something else but Garsir gripped his shoulder.

"Don't Garsir," he whispered. "This is not the time,"

Sigmund agreed and decided to leave Hester to her thoughts. Toothless was concerned as he saw Hester's emotionless face. Once he saw a girl filled of love and friendship, now he saw one full of hatred for a father who mistreated her. It seemed it would take than just an apology from such a stoic man to neutralise her anger, make her feel happier and at more peace.

But for now, Hester just wanted to experience her freedom for longer with him, Garsir and Sigmund.

* * *

**I will never hold off a HTTYD Story again. Here it is. Get piped for another. Please send suggestions over please.**


	5. Consolation between Friends

**Consoles between friends: **

That very same night, Gobber was brooding as he carried his stuff around his workshop. He missed the sight of seeing his son and his best friends assisting him. All those months that they had disappeared had taken a colossal toll on him. He thought singing a traditional Viking song would clear his head. But the words he sung were drowsy and sulky.

"_I've got my axe _

_And I've my mace _

_I'm a Viking dad with the ugly face_

_I'm a Viking through and through," _

He couldn't sing another verse. It was just too original, and too reminding of trio. All it gave him was sadness. He was shuffling through some drawings when he saw a painting of his son and his best friends. A painting that Hester had done for them when they were kids. She had such a passionate skill for art as well as inventing. He held it closer to his eyes. He touched the image of his son, praying, hoping that he was safe. How could he continue on if he lost his son? A heavy shattered heart was enough the night he lost his beloved wife. But if his son died, it would surely break it too much for him to ever live on.

_Where are you son?_ Gobber prayed. _When will you, Hester and Sigmund come home?_

His praying shattered when he heard footsteps from outside. He turned his head and saw it was Astrid with Stormfly stalking quietly behind her.

Quickly he rubbed his watery eyes and came outside to greet her. "Hey Astrid,"

"Hey Gobber," Astrid greeted. She let out a mighty yawn and stretched out her arms.

"What're you doing up late lass?" Gobber asked.

"Couldn't sleep,"

"Well you sound tired," Gobber pointed out.

"I don't feel like sleeping," Astrid confessed. "Everything is just…too much,"

"Can't stop worrying about them can you?" Gobber said.

Astrid nodded. Her eyes were wet with tears. "I was a selfish friend," Astrid cursed herself. "Garsir was right that day. I was putting my own desires above friendship. I don't know if I can ever make up for what I did. I can't even find forgiveness in myself either,"

Stormfly watched pitifully at her rider. Once she saw a heart inside that heart-shaped girl that was a cold as stone. But recently, following the events of peace, she saw regret, guilt, sorrow, inside her instead. She could not hate her now. Nor could she ever growl at Astrid for putting friendship below honour against her former best friends. **"It'll be alright Astrid," **she cooed. She nuzzled her beak-end snout into Astrid's shoulder.

Astrid accepted it and hugged her dragon's head.

"One day Astrid you need to let go of that pain," Gobber advised carefully. "One day you need to learn to forgive yourself. You cannot let regret become your source of sorrow and shame,"

"How can you be so nice to me Gobber?" Astrid questioned. "I ditched Hester and your son all because I cared more about my family's honour,"

"Because part of life is to forgive. Others and yourself," Gobber said solemnly. "No matter how hurtful it may seem, sometimes one has to rise above their hatred,"

"But you should hate for me for it,"

"I did hate you once. Though you were such an excellent student in training – a part of me wanted to stop tutoring you because of how you ditched Garsir and Hester,"

"Why did you then?" Astrid inquired confusedly.

"Because I had to rise above my loathing of you. And I thought that maybe if I tutored you enough, maybe if I could turn you into a fine warrior, maybe – if could help you regain your family honour, you might see that it is not as needful as you believe,"

Astrid was speechless. All these years, a part of Gobber hated her for undervaluing Garsir and Hester's friendship. But a part of him wanted to rise above that cynical attitude and help him. Help her to see that caring only for your family honour, makes you have no friends.

"Do you suppose Hester ever could rise above her anger like you did?" Astrid wondered. "Even after everything she went through?"

Gobber sighed and his eyes darted to the side. "I don't know Astrid. But anyone could try and reason with her to come back, it's probably my dear boy Garsir, Sigmund and that Night Fury,"

"I hope that Toothless is taking good care of them. Who knows what sort of dangers are out there?"

"Come on darling," Gobber offered her a hand. "Let's get you back to your house. We should all sleep. There is nothing we can do. Except pray to Odin that he'll protect them,"

Astrid let Gobber take her arm and escort her back to her house. Around the corner was the Hofferson House, a regular Viking house with a Deadly Nadder head sculptured above the door, painting in yellow and blue. Just like Stormfly. Stormfly had a pleasant peaceful stable built next to the house, with pillows laid out on the floor to make her sleep comfortably.

Stormfly curled up inside her stable and Astrid fished out some fish from a nearby basket. "Here you go girl," she tossed the fish and Stormfly caught it into her jaws and munched on it.

Astrid smiled a bit. It was wonderful to have a dragon as a friend rather than a foe. Ever since bonding with that Sharp Class Dragon all that time ago, she had felt a burst of love filling a part of her gashed heart. "I wish they could see this. That we have been so happy here and they have as well,"

"I'm glad they took one glance at this place before leaving," Gobber remembered the day that his son and Sigmund took Hester out of Gothi's hut to show her the utopia of Vikings and Dragon living together instead of fighting one another. "It's time we all slept. Maybe tomorrow they'll be back,"

"And if they're not?" Astrid asked, her doubt receding the glow in her face again. "If they're not back soon, I'm going to go out there and find them. No matter what. I don't care what they might have to say to me – but I cannot spend the rest of my life plaguing myself with this guilt,"

Astrid departed to bed. And so did Gobber. He did not make a protest against her decision. He agreed with her decision. He was done being patient, waiting for the Trio and that dragon to return. But he wanted them back. He yearned to throw his arms around them and hold them tight more than anything.

* * *

Far beyond the dark sea, behind the barrier of fog, laid the volcano of Dragon Island. It was lonely, seemingly lifeless with no dragons living in it. The Volcano was dormant. No lava illuminated from within it. The only dragons inhabiting the islands were some Terrible Terrors. They flew from rock to rock on the side of the volcano. They glided to the south of the island and there, in the wall of the volcano was a humongous opening. The Terrible Terrors, sensing no danger, deciding to flutter inside, to get out the cold windy weather.

Suddenly a set of jaws, ginormous as a sea stack snapped its teeth and engulfed the flock of Terrors into its mouth. It swallowed them down with one gulp.

A mountainous dragon, half the size of its home, stomped out of the opening. Its solid skin was grey with red studs, a nasal horn at the end of its square-shaped snout, a coral-shaped frilled, four towering legs with claws as long as ships, a tail bludgeon and massive wings that were folding tightly against its skin.

"**I have waited enough for my revenge," **The Heir of the Red Death sneered. **"My mother shall be avenged at last. First, I will find that island on which her killers came from. And I will destroy them!"** He stomped out through the opening, his footsteps giving of the sound as loud as giants, shaking the earth. He starred out across the grey sea. Seeing nothing the barrier of mist separating his island from the world. He growled. Then, he roared with the fury of an erupting volcano. As he turned around, legions of dragon-daemons flew out of the opening and landed on the beach, bowing to him: their alpha. They were much smaller than their master but larger than Monstrous Nightmares. They were black with fiery fumy claws, horns, eyes, teeth and they had fire patterns crawling all over their skin and wings.

"**Dragons!"** he bellowed. **"The time has come! The time has come for us to rise and take back what those puny Vikings stole from us! The time has come to avenge my mother and put humankind in their place! Who is with me?!"**

His army roared. His aggressive army flapped their might wings. His hungry-for-revenge army stomped their pounding feet, creating a rhythm of the joy of killing and cutting any Viking or dragon who stood in their way.

The Red Death's Heir growled proudly. A doom had begun to dawn. One that he would ensure would be hurting, heartlessly, and haughtily. No one would dare supersede his kind ever again.

* * *

**Ooo, looks like the Red Death's son is out for revenge. What's he goanna do? Destroy Berk? Oh, we'll have to wait till further on to find out. **


	6. A New Friend

**A New Friend: **

Toothless had managed to find another island. It was nowhere near as good as their previous one. But it would do- at least for the night.

The Trio found it difficult to sleep on hard rock. But Toothless's wings kept them warm.

The sun rose brightly the next morning. It cast a horde of bright dazzling that made the Trio's eyes burn up as they opened.

"That was the most uncomfortable sleep ever!" Sigmund groaned as he stood up on his stiff legs. He placed his hands on his back and bent back. _Crack. _"Ow! This is the last time I ever seen on something hard,"

"You've slept on a bed and that's hard, since it's made out of wood," Garsir reminded.

"Yeah! But not as hard as rock,"

"Don't worry guys," Hester yawned and rubbed her eyes. "We'll find a better island. Let's just be thankful we came across this one when Toothless was about to collapse,"

"**You're telling me,"** Toothless yawned and stretched out his legs and his wings, like an animal coming out of hibernation.

"Do you suppose we should head south?" Sigmund suggested.

"That's too cold," Garsir objected. "We can't go north either! It's quite hot there with all its volcanoes,"

"I guess we'll just have to keep going east then," Hester thought up. "We'll have some fish from that lagoon over there, and then we'll take off,"

"Yeah!" everyone cheered. But Sigmund noticed Garsir was looking blankly up at the sky.

"What's the matter with you?" Sigmund asked, confused by his expression.

"That," Garsir pointed upwards.

The three turned around and saw the Boneknapper approaching. And he was coming in fast.

"Are you kidding me?!" Hester shouted. "How did it find us so quickly?"

"Looks like he's not as easy to lose like my dad thought," Garsir dreaded.

Toothless stood front of them, snarling to protect them, as a father would over his hatchlings.

Once the Boneknapper landed, it raised his bony neck ready to roar. But no roar came out. Only a squeak. A squeak no larger than the squeaking of a mouse.

"Mm…no roar," Sigmund said, surprised.

The Boneknapper suddenly burst out a ball of fire. Quickly Toothless grabbed them all to the safety. Then he leaped up to tack the Boneknapper, he managed to pin its head but the Boneknapper knocked him off with its mace tail.

"Toothless!" Hester shouted.

Before she could try and run to him, Garsir and Sigmund pulled her behind a large boulder. The Boneknapper fired at them but they were protected behind the boulder.

Toothless got back up**. "Leave them alone!"**

He leapt up and fired plasma blasts the skeleton dragon, saving the children.

As they were fighting, the Trio peered up and observed tensely. As they did, the only girl member of the group saw something shocking on its chest. It was 't' shaped whole.

Hester's eyes engorged. The hole was shaped exactly like Garsir's bone trinket.

"Guys…that Boneknapper is supposed to have a roar. But maybe it can't because the bone it needs is your bone piece Garsir!"

Garsir fished out the trinket from beneath his vest. HE looked up and saw the hole in the Boneknapper.

"You're right Hester!" Garsir exclaimed. "No wonder it kept chasing my father and is now pursuing us!"

"Let's try and give it back to him," Hester suggested.

But it didn't seem like it would be easy. The moment they stepped out, they attempted to shout out to the Boneknapper and tell them they know what he wanted, Toothless was flung back to them. But he quickly got back up and stooped ready again. He would not give up the fight. He was not defeated.

"It doesn't look he's in the mood to talk it peacefully," Sigmund growled.

The Mystery Class dragon prepared to fire again. Garsir suddenly sprinted away from Toothless and the others.

"Garsir!" Sigmund and Hester shouted.

"What are you doing?!" Hester shrieked.

"Are you crazy?!" Sigmund shouted.

The Boneknapper tried to snap at Garsir. But he kept doing somersault rolls to dodge them. Toothless tried to bound forward and help, but Garsir shouted: "No Toothless! Don't do anything! Just trust me!"

Toothless stopped.

The Boneknapper prepared to blast Garsir.

"Stop!" Garsir screamed. He reached out his hand. He braced himself. He closed his eyes, shut them tight. A moment passed. He felt dragon breath breathing onto his palm. He turned his face back left and saw the Boneknapper sniffing it. It was inspecting him. It was trying to see how he wasn't a threat. How could he be if he just offered up his hand?

"I believe this is yours," he offered up the t bone. "Let me put it back it,"

The Boneknapper seemed to calm down. It kneeled down slowly. Garsir stepped gently forward, taking off his trinket.

Hester and Sigmund observed anxiously. Although he trusted his friend's judgement, he still kept his guard.

Once the chest was low enough, Garsir reached up and pressed the bone piece into its place. The moment it was pressed into its place, the Boneknapper staggered back and his body shook. It released from out of its mouth a might roar that made everyone cover their ears. It was so loud their ear drums were ring so vigorously.

The Boneknapper looked darkly at Garsir.

"Garsir!" Hester shouted. Toothless prepared to fire.

"If you're goanna kill me make it fast," Garsir requested quickly.

The Boneknapper nuzzled him with affection. Garsir was surprised by the reaction. He reached up his hand again and stroked the dragon's chiselled chin. The dragon enjoyed it and he nuzzled his hand. "I guess you're not so bad after all," Garsir said. "You just wanted to your bone back, didn't you,"

"Yes," the dragon cooed.

"Well you have it back now," Garsir smiled. "I'm goanna call you Skullbones. You like that?"

Skullbones roared in approval. He did. He twisted his head and saw his surprised shocked friends. He had done it. He had trained a dragon all by himself.

"It's okay guys. You can come forward. He's not mean. He's just…a little beefy,"

Cautiously his human friends and their dragon friend came forward. Toothless calm down a bit, though he still felt agitated.

"Hi," Hester waved nervously.

Sigmund copied her action.

"Well Skullbones, these are my best friends: Hester, and Sigmund. And this is Toothless, a Night Fury,"

"**Hello,"** Toothless greeted.

"**Hello,"** Skullbones greeted back a little nervously. **"So sorry for attacking you and these humans. I just wanted my bone,"**

"**I understand,"** Toothless said. **"Forgive for blasting at you. It's just my commitment to protect these humans. Especially Hester,"**

"Well Skullbones, how would you like to join our merry group?" Hester offered.

"**I would love to," **Skullbones roared happily. For the first time in years, he was delighted to be part of a group. Or more delightfully, a family.

"We are more than happy to have you,"

Skullbones seemed to enjoy her kind words. But then he stared at her when he noticed, something stranger about her. **"You can understand me?"**

"Yes. It's this uncanny gift that I cannot quite place where it came from,"

"**Well I must say it is very unique. And special," **

"Why thanks,"

"Well, now that we have a new dragon added to our group, what do you all say we take off and find somewhere nicer," Garsir option.

The dragons growled in excitement. Their riders pumped fists with Sigmund and shouted: "Yes,"

Toothless bent down and allowed Hester and Sigmund to get on.

Skullbones bent down his bony neck to Garsir's level. Without hesitation, Garsir swung his legs over the neck and held onto Skullbones's jagged horns.

The two dragons flapped their wings and they took off again.

Less than five minutes away from the island, Garsir started fidgeting a bit on his seat. Skullbones noticed his new rider's discomfort. **"Are you okay?"**

"Skullbones is asking Garsir 'Are you okay?'" Hester translated.

"It's just my but. It sort of aches when I'm sitting on bone,"

"You're goanna have to get used to it," Sigmund summed up with a playful smug. "Unless of course you'd rather have Toothless carrying all three of us again?"

"Ahh…no I'm good. I'd rather ride on bone than hurt poor Skullbones's feelings," Garsir patted the face of his new dragon.

Skullbones cooed with affection. **"Thank you,**" He had never felt any love like he'd had from that boy who had given him back his bone. Now until the rest of his days, he would commit himself to protecting Garsir. And Garsir would do the same for him.

"I can't believe you trained your own dragon," Hester said her words proudly to Garsir.

"Well I had a good teacher," Garsir reminded. Those movements he had done were in fact her own.

The two dragons soared across the sky with their riders pumping the air with their fists and holding them as they felt the wind in their hairs. For the first time in forever, the three Vikings were proud to have another dragon added to their group besides Toothless.

Now all they needed now, was a dragon for Sigmund. Although Sigmund assured them that it didn't matter to him, Garsir and Hester believed he deserved a dragon as every bit as much as they did. Then they could all race together, fly together separately, play together in the sky where they could feel freedom all the time.

* * *

**Aww a new friend. Get piped in for Sigmund's dragon. It's an OC Dragon. **


	7. A New Species

**A New Species:**

The three riders and their two dragons flew for a few long hours across the sea. Hester whistled a tune and the boys sang a travel song to the rhythm.

"Guys…it looks like Skullbones is getting tired," Garsir's words were confirmed by his dragon inhales.

The tired Skullbones was panting and breathing hardly.

"We haven't found an island so far," Sigmund protested. "We're never goanna find one out here,"

"Guys look!" an overjoyed Hester pointed forward. A large green island with mountains and forests was just lying off the horizon. "An island! Come on boys! You can make it!"

Toothless, who didn't seem to show any sign of tiredness, kept flapping faster. **"Come on Skullbones! You can do it,"** he encouraged the worn-out Boneknapper. **"You're a fighter. Do not give up," **

"**Okay,"** Skullbones panted. He fought against the pain in his bones.

In less than five minutes, the dragons reached a sandy beach at the front of the island. Skullbones collapsed the moment he landed. Toothless landed gently on his feet.

Garsir slipped off his ride and stroked his pampered dragon. "It's okay boy," he soothed. "We're on land. You can rest now,"

"I think we've done enough flying for one day," Hester decided.

Sigmund nodded. "I agree,"

For the next few hours whilst Skullbones and even Toothless took a nap, the three teens laid down next to each other, staring up at the sky. The cloudy blue atmosphere above kept changing. The clouds made different shapes. Sometimes they looked like dragons, sometimes like islands, sometimes like helmets.

"I lie down here all day and watch the sky and the clouds keep changing," Hester said as she laid on her arms tucked behind her head.

Sigmund respired a breeze of cool sea moisture through his noise. He loved the feel the coolness of the air flow through his body like rivers. He closed his eyes and nodded off for a little while. Eventually, Garsir and even Hester drifted off as well. Even after a long time of flying, one could sleep off.

Sigmund heard a wailing roar. He jolted up. His hard breathing woke Hester and Garsir up.

"Are you okay pal?" Garsir asked. "You look like you got spooked in your sleep,"

"Do you guys hear that?" Sigmund asked.

"Hear what?" Hester asked.

The roar came again. This time Hester and Sigmund heard it clearly.

"I heard it too," Garsir said.

"**So did we,"** both the rested Toothless and Skullbones said together. They growled like guard dogs. For all they knew, it could possibly be a threat.

"Do you guys suppose…it's a dragon?" Hester wondered.

"Let's just take it cautiously," Hester decided. "We don't want to spook them. Whatever they are. They didn't sound like any dragons we know,"

The three humans and their dragons stalked carefully and cautiously through the forest. The dragons continued to keep their guard on. They didn't growl. The group needed to hear the source of that wailing roar.

After a long while of walking, the teens noticed the forest was beginning to disappear, just ahead of them. They came to a cliff.

"Guys look," Sigmund pointed down. What a sight was seen by everyone. Down below a magnificent cove, surrounding the sea-blue pool in the centre, were dragons. Dragons of a new species that they had never seen before. These new dragons looked medium sized with long wing spans and three long tails that curved out.

They were commonly either green, blue, cyan, or red with yellow spikes poking down their spines and sprouting out of the tip of their tails. They had horns growing out of the sides of their heads too.

"I've never seen any dragon like these before," the speechless Sigmund inhaled. "I think we may have discovered a new species,"

"I think you may be right," the equally ecstatic Garsir agreed. "Even my ancestor Bork never drew pictures of these dragons in the Book of Dragons. I don't think he's ever encountered them,"

Skullbones growled in happiness. Unfortunately, due to his regained roar, the noise was a little too loud.

"Shh! Keep it down Skullbones," Garsir ordered. "Your roar will spook them,"

"**Sorry,"** Skullbones apologised.

Already joyful at discovering a new species of dragon, Hester asked: "What do you suppose they can do? What class do you suppose they belong to?"

"I'd say with those spiky spines and those horns, and those tails, they belong to the Sharp Class," Sigmund thought.

"I can't wait to see what abilities they can do," Garsir said excitedly.

"I'm not so sure we should just approach them yet," Hester warned. "We don't if they're trainable,"

"**You're right Hester,"** Toothless crooned. **"Not ever dragon is exactly as trusting or open to friendship like Skullbones and I were,"**

"Why do you guys think they were roaring?" Garsir asked. "Their roar sounded like some sort of…wail. Like they needed help. Or something,"

Hester peered further down. It was too high for her to get a clear look. But from she could tell from all some dragons who nuzzling one another, maybe they were sad? Scared?

"It didn't sound like an angry roar," she said. "Doesn't look like there's been some sort of fight,"

"Then what do you suppose it is?" Sigmund wondered.

"Do you know Toothless?" Garsir asked. "You Skullbones,"

"**No," **Toothless and Skullbones shook their heads.

"Let's just wait here for a bit," Sigmund suggested. "Let's watch them for a bit longer. I'm goanna take some notes and draw some pictures," he fished out a notebook and a pencil from one of their supply sacks strapped to Toothless saddle. He opened it to a blank page. He began to draw those new dragons.

* * *

Far, far away across the sea, the Red Death's Heir, whose true name was Rafashfear, led his army. He snarled as his wings carried him fifty metres with every flap. One dragon deamon, his second-in-come Tevren, flew close beside him. **"What is your plan master?"**

**"First i will take control of those dragons who pledged their loyalty to those puny humans who took their mother. Then i will have them fire down on their village until it is nothing more than a numerous number of mounds of worthless ash. But..."**

**"Yes?"**

**"There is one human who I want. I know that there was one human, who was responsible for her death. And I know, that it was a Night Fury who blasted her. The only Night Fury who had lived in this nest. A Night Fury who came to this island after he was separated from his family as a hatchling. I wish to devour them in my belly. So that they will never again, take away my kind's power,"**

**"But master, if they defeated your mother, surely they can defeat you,"**

**"Then i shall use that village as leverage. Maybe i might spare that Viking village. But i will take back all those dragons as my slaves and destroy that Night Fury and his human. It sickens me that he would bond so closely with a human. He's a traitor to his kind. He turned everyone else into traitors too. But i will not rest until he is destroyed!" **

Rafashfear gave out a might roar that made the sea and the earth underneath it shake to the brim. His roar echoed across the sky.

* * *

Built on top of the highest clouds, was the Kingdom of Asgard, home to the Norse gods who all Viking tribes honoured. Odin, god of Wisdom, king among them. His sons Thor, God of Thunder, and Loki, God of Mischief, helping him. The king and his sons were standing on a balcony, watching over their people prospering in the streets. They were smiling proudly. Thier smiles faded, when they heard a bellowing roar, shaking below the landscape of clouds surroudning the kingdom. The roaring made their subjects quiet and still. They looked scared.

Odin stared across the layout of clouds. A state of worry concealed his face.

"What is it father?" Thor asked. It was only his father who knew all that went on down below on the surface of the world.

Odin closed his eyes. A dark thought clouded his mind. His eyes flashed opened. He staggered back in shock. "The Red Death's Heir is seeking revenge on Berk. He is heading towards it. He will not rest until the Hooligan Tribe of Berk are nothing but ash,"

"Father, we must act now and strike him and his army down whilst we can," Loki suggested.

"And need i remind you Loki, that it is forbidden for us to intervene with dragons, as promised by the covenant we made with the dragons Spirits many millennia ago at the beginning of time. We made a vow with the dragon Spirits not to intervene with dragons, nor to harm them. No matter how good or bad they are,"

Thor objected. "But what about the Hooligan Tribe of the island of Berk? Does it not matter to you or the Dragon Spirits that this monster is going to slaughter innocent people?"

"The Dragon Spirits do not care what dragons will do humans! Only that they live and thrive," Odin explained. "If we act against the covenant, they will destroy our kingdom,"

"Then what hope is there for those Vikings?!" Thor demanded, he felted angered to the brim that his father would allow an innocent tribe to die.

"There's only speck of hope for them my son. Hester,"

"The human who can understand dragons?" Loki asked. "Not that girl who defeated the Red Death with her Night Fury and then left Berk with her dragon," he dismissively shook his head. "No father. She left her own people. She cannot be trusted,"

"How can you be so sure that this girl will be willing to go back?" Thor questioned carefully. "Need i remind you that she despises her village for abusing her for being born differently,"

"Yet...when they were sailing towards their death, she came to save them," Odin reminded.

"That was because you influenced her," Thor reminded again.

"Hester was born differently for a reason. The reason is she has a destiny. A destiny only partly completed,"

"What exactly gave her the power to understand dragons?" Loki asked.

"That I do not know," Odin confessed, shaking his head. "What I do know...is that it was made by the spirit of the first dragon who roamed this earth, before its time came to an end,"

"Father...do you think Hester is ready to learn about her gift and how she gained it?" Thor asked.

"No," Odin answered. "If she learns, she will be in mortal danger. Not just from these daemons that aid Rafashfear, but from others on this Earth, who seek its power. For now...we must do what we can to influence her into doing what is right. To do that we will need to influence some teens who live on her island,"


	8. Another new friend

**Another new Friend: **

For hours the group had observed these new dragons. During that period of endless expecting, they noted some facts such as the species' appetite for both fruit and meat meaning they were omnivores. They had never seen any other species that had an appetite for both flora and fauna. It was a highlighting discovering.

A unique ability that they discovered was with sharp spikes on the edges of their wings they could slice through anything. Almost like a Timberjack. But one thing they could do that Timberjacks couldn't was they could go spinning in circles multiples times in the air and slice down anything they came into contract in half. It was extraordinary. Extraordinary, but quite dangerous if you're close by.

The group thereby dubbed the name: Tifespinners for these Sharp Class dragons.

"I wish my ancestor Bork were alive," Garsir wished. "I bet he would have loved to have seen this. As a boy I used to imagine discovering dragons like he did,"

"Well…we have just discovered a new species," Hester smiled. "That's a dream come true right?"

Garsir nodded with a smile of joyfulness. It was like starting to follow in his ancestor's footsteps. A warm radiance reflected off his face as he gazed down. But it cooled off when he noticed Sigmund's gloomy unhappy expressions.

"What's wrong pal?" he asked.

"It's just…during all this waiting, it's been really quiet today," Sigmund sourly said. "I mean more quieter than normal,"

"**He has a point guys,"** Toothless crooned to his friends. He sniffed the ground. He suddenly growled. Skullbones sniffed the ground too and he started clenching his teeth too.

"What's wrong guys?" Hester asked.

Garsir started to sum up some guesses. "I think they're detecting something,"

"What?" Hester inquired. She stood up, hanging her head heavily at the ground. She tapped it with her prosthetic foot. "I don't hear anything underground,"

"Doesn't mean it's not there," Sigmund pointed out, standing up and copying her action. "Why do I get the feeling that something is about to burst out without warning?"

Suddenly the earth beneath their heads started to shake. The reverberate shaking made the three teens and the two dragons fall off their feet. "Woah my! Woah," Sigmund's voice raised up and down as the shake made his screaming fall out of time and made gaps in his jumpy words.

"Oh Thor!" Hester screamed.

"Whhaat – ggggooooingg-onnnnn?!" Garsir screamed, his words jumping out of time.

Just when they thought things weren't getting worse, tons of branches and trees began falling on top of them.

Quick as they could, Skullbones and Toothless managed to get close enough to use their wings to shelter the humans. The humans huddled together. Toothless and Skullbones, no matter how much wood fell onto the wings, kept their cover over the teens. It was their only protection.

A moment passed by – and there was no earth shake. Everything turned quiet again. Toothless and Skullbones lifted up their wings and the three humans came out from under their makeshift shelter. All around they could see nothing but cracks in the land, fallen trees, broken branches and all other sorts of debris one would fine on an island.

"**Are you alright?"** Toothless asked. **"Nothing hurt I hope,"**

"We're fine," Hester's held his cheeks in her hands. "Thanks bud," she hugged and kissed him on the head. "You saved us,"

"Well done boy," Garsir patted his dragon's head. "Good job,"

"**It was nothing really,"** Skullbones crooned and he licked Garsir on the face. Garsir was disgusted yet delighted at that affection.

"What – was – that?" Sigmund asked out, punching a gap between his words with a pause of shock.

"That was an earthquake," a puffed-out Hester panted out. "That is more fun than I ever want to ever again,"

"**Good thing our wings provided protection,"** Toothless mentioned. **"Right Skullbones?**

"**Right you are Toothless,"** Skullbones agreed.

Sigmund suddenly gasped.

"What is it Sig?" Hester asked, sensing his fear.

"The Tifespinners!" Sigmund dashed back over to the ledge and looked back down. To his delight, no specimen of the new species was harmed. They had managed to survive and not a single one looked harmed. "Thank goodness," he respired, able to breath again. "They're okay,"

"Doesn't look like they got hurt," Garsir said. "They reacted a lot quicker than we did,"

A howling roar echoed aginst their ear drums again. The three teens turned their backs from the cove in shock. There was nothing in the air. It seemed to be coming from all around.

"There's that noise again," Sigmund said. "Sounds like a dragon's hurt,"

The roar wailed again. This time it sounded it was from one direction.

"I think it's coming from over there," Hester pointed north. She looked at the guys. "Think we should follow it?"

Her reply was a group of simultaneous nods.

The five dreaded carefully over piles of trees, branches and even rocks as they made their way north. They would have flown, but Toothless and Skullbones's wings were badly bruised from all the bashes they gained from sheltering the teens. They would be perfectly healed by tomorrow morning. For now, they would have to stick to walking; much to their dismay. It was more fun to fly than it was to waddle about. Dragons did have wings after all, wings that could carry you above the clouds and allow you to see a whole new world.

The group came to another beach, pilled by a carpet of tons of pebbles, all shapes and sizes. There were sharp rocks cliffs, poking out at the sides. The source of the bawling roar had seemed to vanish.

The group took their spot on a rock ledge that overlooked this solid beach. Hester placed a hand on her forehead to shelter her eyes from the sun which was setting across the pale ocean. "I don't see anything,"

"Me neither," Garsir said as well, after looking in another direction.

"**Us neither," **both Toothless and Skullbones groaned as they looked

Sigmund looked towards the furthest range on the far right. His eyes widened.

"Guys look!" he poked forward, his finger shaking.

It was a turquoise Tifespike, with red and golden spikes lining down its back. A large piece of shark rock was poking through the top of its wing and pinning it to the pebbled ground.

"Oh my goodness. The earthquake must had caused that sharp rock to fall onto its wing," Hester gasped.

Sigmund frowned. Why did it have to happen to that poor dragon? He leaped down from the ledge.

"Sigmund! Don't!" Hester pleaded. "You don't know what that dragon is capable of! For all we know it could be poisonous. Or worse untrainable!"

Garsir looked beseeching as well. "Please listen to her pal. We may want you to have a dragon, but we want you to be alive too,"

"Guys…I have to try," Sigmund pleaded. "Trust me. I can do it,"

His friends still weren't convinced.

"Are you sure?" a doubtful Hester asked.

"Yes. Please guys…you all wanted me to have a dragon? This is it. This is my chance. Let me try and train it,"

His friends decided to give in. They couldn't stop him.

"Okay. We'll be right here if you need us," Garsir assured.

Sigmund nodded. He turned his attention to the dragon.

"Hello,"

The Tifespike bellowed out a mighty roar. But it squealed in pain when it tried to move its injured wing. The closer Sigmund came to it, the fiercer it growled at him. He was a creature it had never seen before.

"Please?" Sigmund begged. He took slow serene steps towards the female dragon. "Let me help you. I'm not a danger to you. Please let me help you,"

The dragon looked closer at him and saw that he had no weapons, no signs of wanting a fight, and no signs of agitation. What Sigmund held out to it was gentle hands, hands that gestured peace.

It stopped growling. It allowed Sigmund to come forward. Sigmund cautiously made her way to its right wing. He felt his stomach clenching when how blooded the wound was becoming with the piece of sharp rock still sticking into it like an axe in a shield. Sigmund carefully pulled the rock shard out of its wing.

The sharp dragon roared in pain. As it did, out its mouth shot a ball of acid-green fire. Quick as whip, Toothless bounded forward like a panther and snatched Sigmund out of reach. Right in the nick of time.

The blasting boom made the spot where Sigmund was blow up. It left behind a singed spot of ash.

"Sigmund please don't!" Hester begged. "You've got the rock shard out. Now can we please go. She doesn't look like she wants anymore help," she had recognised by gender of the dragon by its voice. It was cool how she could identify genders of dragons by their voices with her uncanny gift.

Sigmund didn't move though. He noticed that the wound was still leaking too much runny blood out the Tifespinner. "Guys…we can't leave her with that wound. It's leaking too much,"

"Can you at least let us approach her with you?" Garsir exasperatedly requested, his faith in his best male friend dimming out.

"No. She's too agitated still. Let me approach her again alone. You all will know if I need help,"

His best friends gave infuriated sighs. Nonetheless they allowed him to go forward. He was a tough one to get through.

Sigmund stepped cautiously towards the Tifespinner again. The Tifespinner did not growl at him again. It still kept its dark line of vision focused on him though. He may had pulled that sharp rock out her wing, but it still didn't mean that he was trustworthy.

Sigmund ripped off a piece of cloth from his tunic. He genuflected on his knee, raising up the torn piece of material. "Will you let me wrap it up? To stop the bleed?"

The dragon stared at him with less coldness.

Hester and Garsir had to stroke their dragons' necks to keep them calm. It seemed to make an effort. At least for now – when there was no danger.

Sigmund carefully wrapped the wound up with a knot.

The dragon raised its wing and saw how it had stopped anymore blood from escaping its wound. It looked into Sigmund's eyes again. This time its eyes were soft and full of warmth. It leaned its head down to glance at him closer. Sigmund turned his head and reached forward his left hand. He mimicked the same move that Hester had offered to Toothless.

He felt the Tifespinner's breath breathing a warm odour onto it. Then he felt a soft soothing touch. He looked back forward and saw the dragon's eyes were closed as it dug its snout into his fingers. It opened its eyes and saw him again.

"**Thank you," **she crooned.

"You're welcome," Sigmund didn't need Hester's uncanny ability to know what she was saying. He looked towards his friends. "It's okay guys. You can come forward!"

The rest of his group stalked forwardly slowly.

The female dragon raised its head and looked at Hester, Garsir and their dragons. It twisted its head, blinking its eyes.

Toothless and Skullbones blinked back.

"Hi…" Garsir waved a little anxiously.

"**No need to be afraid,"** Toothless assured her.

"**We mean you no harm. We're with this human,"** Skullbones promised.

"What will you name her?" Hester asked.

Sigmund considered for a moment. "Tifespike. Do you like that girl?" he asked.

Tifespike roared happily. She loved it.

"Well Tifespike…. can we come with you to your home?" Hester politely asked. "Seeing as you don't see as a threat anymore? It's just for the night. And…maybe we could help your kind fix up the damage,"

"**Of course. You've all proven that you can trusted," **Tifespike approved without hesitation.

"Well, then let's go back," Sigmund opted. Afterwards he felt Tifespike nudging his back. He looked at her. She gestured to her neck.

"I think she wants you to ride on her neck," Garsir said gladly, proud of his best male friend for training his first dragon.

"Really?" Sigmund asked. "You trust me enough?" He couldn't believe that this female of a new species that his kind had never seen before would just trust him straight away.

"**Of course,"** Tifespike bawled. **"You helped me didn't you?"**

Sigmund accepted with a smile. As Tifespike lowered her thick neck, he hooked his left leg over the side. She rose up and he settled his new seat.

"How does it feel?" Hester asked.

"It's actually quite nice," Sigmund described. "Ooooo…and comfy too. And I'm not even on one of her neck spikes,"

"We finally have our own dragons," Hester happily expressed. "I can't wait for all the races and flights we're goanna have together,"

"It'll have to wait for tomorrow," Garsir said. "Poor Tifespike needs her wing to recover.

The humans sat on their dragons' necks as they walked back towards the cove where the rest of Tifespike kind and possibly her family were. Tifespike led them down a rocky path on the side of the cliff that they didn't see earlier. Mainly because of how its mossy covering made it camouflage into the wall sides.

The pack of Tifespinners glared darkly at the group of humans and dragons they had never seen. They didn't fire though. If Tifespike was amongst them, then it meant that maybe they meant no harm.

"**It's alright,"** Tifespike roared. **"There are friends. No foe. This creature on my back healed my wing. He and his friends can be trusted. Trust me,"**

The Tifespinners looked carefully in a slight cold way at the newcomers. Skullbones and Toothless growled. Again, Hester and Garsir stroked their heads to keep them back.

"**You are welcome in our cove," **a large green one said. "It has been a long time anyone came to our island,"

"**Thank you,"** Hester bowed down, believing him to be the alpha. Sigmund nodded his head and Garsir did the same. **"Let us help you and your kind clean up,"**

Together as a team, the pack of Tifespinners and the three pairs of dragon riders and dragons cleaned up all the debris in the cove. Next thing they did was help them hunt for some fish on the beach. It turned out Tifespike was at the beach because she was hunting for food.

They shared the dozens of fish that night, having it either cooked or raw. The humans had to have it raw for their health. Soon the sun disappeared and was replaced by the white pearly moon in the sky. It cast a beautiful reflection on the lake, along with the dozens of fragile sparkling stars that shone beside it.

"Well I think we should get some sleep," Garsir yawned.

"**You're right about that,"** Skullbones did a yawn too, but it was very loud that it made the whole pack of Tifespinners wince. They looked at him disapprovingly.

"**Not so loud!"** the green alpha ordered.

"**Oops…sorry,"** Skullbones crooned apologetically. **"I still need some control over it. I haven't had that roar in years,"**

Garsir had laid out his mat. Skullbones laid his body beside it and offered up a wing to serve as his blanket. He wanted a real bonding moment with his new rider, his new rider who had returned his bone and had given him a family.

Garsir accepted it.

Tifespike offered for Sigmund to sleep under her right wing. But Sigmund was unsure. He was concerned about all her spikes, remembering Hester's warning about the possibility of poison stored in them.

"**Oh don't worry Sigmund,"** Tifespike groined. **"It's only my tail spikers that have poison in them. It'll be perfectly safe to sleep under my wing,"**

"She's says that only her tail spikes have poison. You'll be perfectly safe sleeping under her wings," Hester translated.

Sigmund laid his body against Tifespike's chest and she wrapped her wing around him to keep him toasty. Her warm chest irradiated out a wave of kindness to her new rider. It was the start of a new friendship that would last forever.

Hester laid under Toothless's wing and his head was beside his.

"Can you believe it bud?" she asked. "We've found two new friends in less than a day?"

"**I cannot,"** Toothless confessed happily. "**I'm so glad we found some new members for our family. As long as we stick together, there is nothing we can't do," **

"I couldn't agree with you more. Goodnight bud," Hester drifted off. Toothless's weary watched her lovingly.** "Goodnight Hester," **he licked his face and drifted off too.

The boys and all the other dragons drifted off too**. **

For the first time in all those months, the three humans were happy. In less than a day, they had gained new dragons, new friends, new members for their group. A Boneknapper for Garsir. And now a new species of dragon: a Tifespinner for Sigmund.

A family had grown larger. And that friendship that kept this family would become important for whatever adventures awaited them in years to come.

* * *

**Hope you all are enjoying it. Please let me know what you all think. I thank you Mariah for all your support and reviews. I really appreciate it.**


	9. The Dawn Approaching

**The Dawn Approaching: **

Astrid slept peacefully that night. She had enjoyed another nice long flight around the island with Stormfly. It always made her feel happy. What further enhanced her happiness was seeing her face the first thing every morning.

"Astrid…." a voice chanted. "Astrid…."

"Mmmm…" Astrid murmured as the voice rang her ear drums gently. Her eyelids flickered. They rose up. Immediately a white glow made them open wider.

Astrid staggered up with a jolt. She struggled to breath as she looked all around, seeing nothing but white. She saw no floor; it was if she was standing on solid air.

"Do not worry Astrid Hofferson," a gentle voice boomed. "You are not in any danger,"

Astrid wheezed, spinning around. A black shadow stood a distance from her position. It started stalking towards her at a slow pace. "Welcome Astrid to the Abyss between Worlds,"

The closer he came to Astrid; the clearer Astrid could see who he was.

Standing nearer to her was a silver armoured Norse God with a silver-winged helmet over a mob of shoulder length locks of gold. Wielded in his hand was a hammer. Not just any hammer, but Mjonir.

"Almighty Thor," Astrid genuflected on her knees, paying her respects to the God of Thunder.

"Stand up," he said gently. "You are been summoned in your sleep to this realm for a reason,"  
Astrid turned confused. "What reason?" she asked looking upward to meet his brown eyes.

"I am here to warn you. Danger is coming to Berk," Thor said grimly, though Astrid could see the fear in his face.

"Danger?" she breathed out, turning white. "What kind of danger?"

Thor agitated for a second. He didn't know how to tell the bad news without scaring her more. But he had no choice. "The Red Death long ago, gave birth to a son. Ever since her death, he has been preparing himself for revenge. He has gathered an army of evil dragon-daemons, monsters who cannot be killed by any Viking weapon. This is an enemy that will be difficult to defeat. Even with the help of your dragon's fire power,"

Astrid turned pale as white. It couldn't be true. "No," she breathed out.

"I know it sounds crazy young Astrid. But it is true,"

"If this is true, then you and the gods must use your powers to strike at this dragon before it attacks Berk. If we can't stop it then it's up to you, your father and the other Norse Gods,"

"Astrid, as much as we have infinite power, we cannot use it against any creature. Including dragons,"

"But you're the gods that we worship," the shieldmaiden protested.

"It is against the covenant we made with the Dragon Spirits to harm any dragon,"

Astrid was infuriated. "But does it not bother them that this monster is going to slaughter a whole island of innocent people?!" How could these 'Dragon Spirits' not care about what dragons do to humanity.

"They don't care whether humans live or die. Only that dragons live and reign forever," Thor explained. "However…there is one way you can save them?"

"What is it? Tell me!" Astrid begged desperately.

"You must seek Hester Haddock," he instructed. "The girl who left your island months ago,"

"But how can she come back? She'll never want to help us. Not after everything we did; not just to her but to her dragon and her best friends as well,"

That didn't stop her from coming to save the Berkians from the Red Death did it?" Thor reminded.

Astrid remember the determined look she had on her face the day she had decided to save Berk. Why would this time it'd be any different?

"I guess you're right Thor," she accepted.

"Astrid…this is your chance to bring her and her best friends back. Only she has the power to defeat this Heir and save your kind,"

"Power?" Astrid breathed out. "What kind of power?" an idea ringed in her head. "Is this to do with her ability to understand dragons?"

"Yes," Thor nodded. "I do not know where it came. Nor does my father. Only he knows was that it came from a special item that the Dragon Spirits sent down to this earth before even your island's beginnings. Only she can save your island. If you want to save Berk, then you must bring Hester back. Along with her dragon and her best friends,"

"I will," Astrid vowed. "If that

"Then leave tomorrow with your friends.

"Will you still help us?"

"Of course, I shall be watching over you all," he promised. "Hester will need my guidance too. Now sleep,"

Astrid suddenly felt a sort of magic overcome her consciousness. Her eyes shut and she felt as if she was falling on a soft blanket.

On the island of the Tifespinners, across the ocean, the sun had only half-risen across the horizon. The sky was turning pink then purple then peach. The pack of Tifespinners were still resting peacefully in their cove. It had been a late night for everyone, so they were still in need of more rest. Well – not everyone needed it.

"Whoo hoo!" three voices cheered.

"**Yippee!"** three other voices of a different language whooped.

Toothless, Skullbones and Tifespike were spinning and circling about in the sky with their riders cheering on their backs.

"This is so fun!" Hester screamed, her spirit that of a child.

Garsir and Sigmund held on tight to their dragons' horns, laughing and cheering at the same time as well as pressed their legs tightly against their dragon's necks. Already since finding new companions it had become a gift to them to be able to fly on creatures, they trained and befriended.

"We're going vertical guys!" Garsir excitedly shouted.

Together the three dived down on their dragons towards the sea. Toothless, Tifespike and Skullbones were in line with one another. Every second, the three with their riders were a metre closer to diving directly through the barrier of water. Their eyes narrowed.

Just at the last second, they pulled up, streaming right over the water leaving a trail behind.

"Wooppee!" the riders wailed breathlessly. Sigmund reached out an arm and his hand dragged along the cold water.

Garsir plucked up the courage to let go of Skullbones's horns, reach out his arms on both sides and wail: "Ah Haa! Whoo Hoo!"

"This is amazing!" Hester screamed out.

An quick hour passed by.

The six flew back to down to the small pool and relaxed against some rocks.

"Nothing like a fun flight to start the day again," Hester happily said.

"I know right?" Sigmund expressed ecstatically with a cheesy smile. He couldn't forget the feeling of riding on his dragon - just by himself. It felt like freedom. "I'm so happy we found you girl," He scratched Tifespike's chin and she affectionately licked him in return.

"And you boy," Garsir added in, scratching his dragon's chiselled chin too. "Doesn't it feel great guys? Having our own dragons and racing together in the sky?"

"We should do this all the time," Sigmund suggested. "Racing is by far the most fun thing to do,"

Hester laid her head against Toothless's side and he placed a protective wing over her body. She stared at up the sky, admiring the beauty of the air. "Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to just stay up there. In the sky. Surrounded by nothing but clouds, and stars, and sunlight,"

"It would be tiring," Garsir remarked, resting against Skullbones neck. "You'd have to have your dragon keep flapping its wings,"

"I wouldn't do that," Hester said. She scratched Toothless's chin. "Right bud?"

"**No you wouldn't,"** Toothless crooned affectionately. **"You'd never do that to me or any dragon would you," **

"No bud. Of course not," Hester promised, kissing his head. He leaned back down against him and looked up at the sky again.

Astrid woke up at first night the next morning, breathing hard from all she had witness last night in her dreams. Thor had warned her a danger was coming to Berk, a danger that they could not defeat even with dragons. It was something that only Hester could do. She needed to find her. She needed to find Toothless, Sigmund and Garsir too.

"**Are you alright Astrid?"** Stormfly greeted appeared at the window.

"I'm okay girl," Astrid said. She threw off her blanket and pulled on her boots near the base of her bed. She then walked over to her drawers and pulled out her shoulder pads and strapped them on. It was not comfy sleeping with armour on. She dashed outside and found some fish to feed to Stormfly.

Stormfly enjoyed the taste of delicious fish.

The determined Astrid noticed the teens walking out into the town plaza with their dragons in two. This would be the best time to tell them about her dream from Thor.

"Come on girl," she led Stormfly down to the plaza.

The somewhat-tired teens and their dragons noticed them approaching.

"Morning Astrid," Snotlout greeted. "How're you doing?"

She didn't answer. She was still as pale as white.

"Hey, are you okay?" Fishlegs asked, noticing her discomfort.

"You look like you're been spooked by a ghost," Tuffnut said, looking at her confusedly.

"Guys…" Astrid said. "There's something I need to tell you.

"What is it?" Fishlegs asked.

"Last night – this crazy thing happened," Astrid began. She wasn't sure whether they'd believe her or not. But it was worth a shot. She needed help to find Hester. "Last night – I was in 'Abyss between Worlds' and Thor was there,"

"You dreamt you saw the God of Thunder?" Snotlout blurted out. "That's crazy!"

"It really happened whether you believe it or not!" Astrid snapped. Her voice turned calmer. This was no time for a fight. Not when sooner or later this danger would approach Berk and destroy it. "Thor appeared to me. He told me that the Red Death long ago gave birth to an Heir and that he was coming to Berk with an army of Dragon Daemons to wipe us all out. He said this dragon-daemons can't be killed by us,"

"I had exactly the same dream," Fishlegs gasped out.

"You too?" Astrid asked appallingly. "That's unbelievable," her eyes darted to Snotlout. Was it possible…? "Snotlout – did you have a similar dream? About you talking to a god warning you of danger?"

"You know that I recall last night I actually did. Must have forgotten," Snotlout answered as if he was in love. "Talking to the god who I resembled so much was a dream come true,"

"Snotlout!" Astrid snapped. "This is no time for bragging!"

"**Yeah Snotlout!"** Hookfang nudged him hardly with his snout. **"Behave yourself," **

Snotlout huffed. Whose side was his dragon on?

"You know that's kind of funny," Tuffnut started talking. "I recall last night I was a void with a thunder god. And my sister was there,"

"I was in a void too. And my brother was there,"

"Guys!" Astrid snapped them back into focus. "You both were together in that dream talking to Thor!"

"You mean I was actually in a dream with my sister?!" Tuffnut squealed out, like a child eager to open presents on Snoggletog. "We've got to do that again!"

"Guys!" Fishlegs shouted this time. "We need to be serious about this! If Thor visited each of us last night in our dreams, then it means danger is coming to the island of Berk!"

"Okay – that is not good," Tuffnut said awkwardly.

"Guys – Thor said the only way this evil can be defeated is if we find Hester and bring her home. He said that only she had the power to vanquish him and his army and save us all. I believe it has something to do with her gift to understand dragons,"

"Are you sure?" an ambiguous Fishlegs asked. "I mean – she didn't exactly want to see us after she woke up. The fact that she left us actually proved that,"

"I don't care what she did. She is our only hope!" Astrid exclaimed. "I actually miss her. And Garsir too. Even Sigmund. Surely you want Sigmund, back don't you?"

"Of course, I do," Fishlegs protested. "I'm just not sure he'd accept me as a brother. Not after how jealous I was of him,"

"You have to try Fishlegs," Astrid encouraged.

"Guys! Why are we making a fuss about them? It's not like this island needs them. Particularly Hester," Snotlout unrightfully interpolated.

"Snotlout! This is our chance to bring them back home. It's where they belong!" Astrid was getting fed up already with his pompous attitude. "How can you not understand that we need Hester back!"

"Okay now that you're getting serious, I actually do," he blurted out awkwardly at a quick pace.

"Even if we wanted to find them…" Tuffnut started. "How are we going to find them?"

"Yeah. It's not like they left a map telling us where they were going," Ruffnut remarked sarcastically.

"Well – we'll just have to look at the nearby islands for a start," Astrid suggested. "Come on! We have to tell Stoick! We must tell them

"Are you sure it's wise to tell him we'll about to wiped out by a crazy dragon?" Tuffnut questioned.

"Yes!" Astrid yelled again, though unintentionally. "Let's tell him we can bring Hester and he can be happy at last!"

The group hastily dashed over to the Haddock house. They had just arrived when Stoick opened the door. He had series of circles under his eyes from too many days of not sleeping. The worry of his daughter out there hating him had kept him up for too long.

"Morning kids!" he greeted in a tired manner. He noticed that they were all puffed out. "What is it kids?"

"Chief – there's something we have to tell you," Astrid said.

"What is it?"

* * *

**Please let me know what you all think so far. I will try to submit to any ideas you send over. **


	10. Onward on a Quest

**The News / Onward on a Quest:**

"You mean to say that Thor visited each of you last night in your dreams?" Stoick's loud voice shook the house.

"Pretty much," Fishlegs answered.

"And that he has warned each of you that that monstrous Dragon who nearly killed us all had a son and that he has already headed out to find us and destroy?"

"Yep! It sounds awesome!" Tuffnut threw his balled-up fists.

Stoick growled, glaring at him with a cold stare.

"Not awesome," Tuffnut took it back quickly.

"And that we cannot defeat his army of these dragon daemons?"

"Yes chief," Astrid said sadly.

Stoick twisted his back, hiding his face filled with fear.

"There's one other thing we haven't mentioned yet,"

Stoick turned back round. "What is it?"

"He said that only Hester has the power to defeat. He believed it was to do with her ability to understand dragons,"

"No! It couldn't be!" Stoick objected. "It couldn't be because of her gift or…" he drifted off.

"Or what chief?" Fishlegs asked.

Stoick was silent. "Nothing," were his next words. "It's nothing,"

The teens looked at him confusedly. What was he about to say?

Stoick took a moment to calm down. He took a deep breath in and out. Then he turned to address the teens. "Kids – you must head to find Hester as soon as possible. She is our only hope if we are to survive what apocalypse is coming. Make sure to bring the boys back too. I know that Gobber has missed Garsir greatly. And Mr. and Mrs. Ingerman have missed Sigmund too,"

"And me," Fishlegs's eyes turned watery and he couldn't stop himself from crying.

"Make sure to bring that Night Fury too," Stoick ordered seriously. "I am counting on him to keep Hester. Which I hope he's done all these months,"

"Chief…" Astrid addressed again, standing up from her seat. "I'm not sure it's going to be easy to convince Hester to come home. You know how…" she paused again. She didn't want to remind Stoick of his unfatherly unloving nature to his daughter. Also, it was quite disrespectful too.

"I know Astrid," Stoick didn't need her words to be reminded. "But this is her home,"

"She wouldn't think that,"

"She must," Stoick was desperate. "I want her to know that we all look up to her as a hero and that we want her back. Berk wouldn't have changed if it weren't for her,"

A moment of silence before the down-hearted chief gave out his next instruction. "I want you to tell your families and the others to gather around the great Hall. We must discuss this matter,"

"Yes chief!" they all said. They bowed their heads and left the Haddock House. Their dragons, who were having a peaceful morning nap, woke up and saw determined looks plastered on their face.

They chirruped and took stand to walk with them back to their houses. As they walked down the hall, Fishlegs noticed that Astrid was having a sort of hard look on her face. "Hey – what's up Astrid?"

"What's what up?" Astrid burst out.

Fishlegs shrivelled a bit from her stone stare. "You look serious. What's got into you?"

Astrid sighed. "I think Stoick is hiding something,"

Snotlout, who had eavesdropped on their conversation, scoffed in a laughing manner. "That is preposterous," he couldn't stop himself. "The chief hiding something?"

"Guys…you saw how agitated he was as he spoke. And how he paused just as he was about to say something,"

Tuffnut pressed to a finger to his chin and started thinking. "You know," his words were slow. "Now that you mention it, he actually did seem like he was keeping secrets,"

"What kind of secret would the Chief keep?" Snotlout asked confused.

Ruffnut scoffed. "Boy! Don't you know anything? Chief would keep any secret from anyone!"

"Should we ask him?" Fishlegs thought without think.

Snotlout slapped his face.

"No Fishlegs we are not going to ask him!" Astrid objected. "When we find Hester and the boys and bring them back, we will tell her that her father is keeping something secret about her gift and that she must find out what it is. I think her father knows how she got her gift. Whatever it is, it's definitely to do with how she can speak to dragons. She must find out. If she doesn't, things will just get all the worse between her and her father,"

Less than an hour later, the Hall was crowded with mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers, kids, and dragons. Stoick too his spot on the chief's podium. "Attention!" his bellowed voice bounced off the Hall's walls and into the audience's ear drums. Some of the children cringed from the might chief's voice.

"My people – i know that this may sound crazy – but these five teens," he gestured to Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Tuffnut and Ruffnut standing just in front of the podium. "…have received a warning from the almighty Thor,"

Immediately everyone started chattering amongst themselves. They hadn't known the god of Thunder to communicate with teens in their dreams.

"He has warned them that death and doom is coming to our island!"

Once again, everyone chattered amongst themselves. Only this time in fear, in frantic, in fright. What sort of danger was coming?

"The Red Death, the dragon who Hester and her Night Fury destroyed, had a heir,"

The room was filled with shock. The kids clutched close to their parents and grandparents.

"The Heir has now risen with an army of dragon-daemons, who we can't fight. And who our dragons can't destroy,"

Once again, the room was filled with shocks. Only this time they were louder. The children started crying, fearing they were going to die. The parents hugged them tighter and closer, fearing they would lose them.

"But there is one way we can be saved!" Stoick's new statement calmed them down.

Anything would be anything just as long as they would be saved.

"I wish for Astrid Hofferson to come up and explain,"

Astrid's eyes widened. She had never addressed a crowd before. She felt nervous. But she could see Stoick was more nervous than her to do it. To talk about his daughter made him devasted. Dutifully she stepped up onto the podium and faced the crowd, her eyes mainly laid on her parents.

"When he appeared in my dream, Thor told me that only Hester Haddock has the power to stop this threat. He believes it to do with her uncanny ability to understand dragons. Whatever it is that is the source of that gift, that is what has given her the power to destroy these dragon daemons. And the Red Death's Heir,"

"She's never goanna come back!" Spitelout Jorgenson protested from the crowd. "She abandoned her own tribe!"

"She did that because of how we treated her!" Astrid retorted. "The only ones who loved her exactly for who she was Sigmund Ingerman and Garsir and his dad Gobber. She nearly sacrificed herself, to save us from the Red Death. Even after everything we did to her. She had every right to leave because we were unworthy of her kindness,"

The Vikings nodded their heads in approval; they couldn't downplay the past mistakes they had committed on Hester; an innocent heir only try to be like them.

"The only ones who were worthy of her kinds were the boys who believe in her, who treated her as every Viking should be, no matter who they're born of what they look like. The Night Fury bonded with her because just like Sigmund and Garsir, he saw something special inside of her too. Hester – is our only hope at saving our home!"

"But we don't even know where to find her!" Flora Ingerman screamed from the crowd. "Or my darling Sigmund!"

"Or my boy Garsir," Gobber spoke solemnly in a soft voice. Astrid turned her head to him and saw tears raining down his cheeks. He could no longer block out the pain of missing his darling son.

"It doesn't matter where Hester is!" Fishleg's voice shouted. He stepped up onto the podium to stand with Astrid. "What's important is that we find her! And my brother and Garsir too! And the Night Fury! I would journey off the corner of the world just to bring my brother home,"

"And I would do the same for Hester and Garsir," Astrid spoke out too, remembering the time when they were happy joyful kids together.

"I volunteer to go out and find them too!" Snotlout stepped up.

"Count me in!" Tuffnut tried to step up but Ruffnut pulled him down off the platform's step and jumped up her herself.

"Hey!" Tuffnut shouted. With a growl, he stepped back up and took his place with his irritating twin and friends.

Stoick stepped forward them. They turned their gaze on him.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked. "We could send some more riders with you. You never know what might be out there. For all we know you five could run into the Red Death's Heir,"

"No chief," Astrid disagreed. "You must all stay here and set whatever defences you can. We don't how long it will be before the Red Death's Heir finds Berk!"

"Why can't the gods stop this threat?!" Flora's husband: Stifflegs demanded. "They have unique power! Surely they can stop this Red Death's Heir!"

"Because the gods cannot kill any dragon. It is against a covenant they made with the Dragon Spirits, long before even the Red Death came into this world and we were born," Astrid informed them. "But he didn't say he wouldn't be around to help us. He has promised to watch over us and help us find Hester. And help us convince her to come home. We must have faith," She looked back at the unsure chief. "Please Chief. Let us go alone. If more of us Hester won't be so easily convinced. And neither will the boys,"

Stoick sighed. He turned his gaze back on the four pairs of parents: the Hoffersons, the Ingermans, the Jorgensons and the Thorstans. He saw a sign of fear in their eyes but that other spark he noticed inside them was faith. It appeared they believed in their teens seeing as how they had dragons to protect them and that Astrid was right about the increasing number of riders meant the increasing likelihood of Hester not being convinced to come home along with the boys.

The chief look back at the teens. He said: "Very well. It is done. Pack for your journey. You have a quest to prepare for,"

* * *

**Wow! So the Quest is set. Find Hester, convince her to return home, save Berk. Will it be easier to find her than to convince her? Will they need a god to help? Wow, you'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out. Thank you Mariah for all your support and reviews and ideas. They mean so much to me.**


	11. Off we go

**Off we go: **

The Riders prepared themselves for the journey, however long it was goanna be. They packed canteens of fresh water, small packs of food, and rolls of blankets which they strapped to their saddles. They also made sure to pack weapons. They never knew what kind of danger they could run into out there.

"Be safe out there Astrid," Asher pleaded to her, as he embraced his daughter.

"I will be fine dad – I promise," Astrid said. "You've trained me all my life. And I won't be alone. I have Stormfly and the others and their dragons,"

Stormfly, perching just beside them made a vow**. "I'll take good care of her. I promise,"** she chirped.

"Thank you," Asher scratched her chin and she chirruped affectionately. "You're such a wonderful dragon that my girl can trust,"

Astrid embraced her mother, who was shedding tears.

"Be careful my darling," Ingrid sobbed. "Promise me you will,"

"I promise mum," Astrid vowed. Normally she would have snapped at her for treating like a helpless infant, but she was too sad to be leaving the safety of home to be like that.

As Astrid let go of her mother, Asher looked at her with a regretful look.

"What is dad? If it's about my safety again…" Astrid began, starting to get a little annoyed with his overprotective nature now.

"Darling we just wanted to say sorry,"

Astrid scrunched her eyebrows.

"For what?"

"Darling – it's our fault you lost friends. We pushed you so hard into restoring honour to this family that we never realised it would cause you to lose what should have been more important. Friendship,"

"Mum – it's entirely my fault," Astrid tried to make her mother feel less guilty. "I'm the one who cared about our families' reputation more than Hester and Garsir's feelings, I'm the one who severed our companionship that should have been my main priority. I just hope I can have a chance to set things right,"

Ingrid lifted up her gentle to his daughter's tearful eyes. She wiped them clean. "It is never too late to fix things,"

Fishlegs was being squeezed into a tight bone hug by his mother and father.

"Stay safe my son," Flora begged.

"Don't worry mum," Fishlegs said. "Meatlug will take good care of me. Won't you girl,"

Meatlug, loaded with a few bags on her bag, growled softly**. "You can count on it,"** she promised.

"Find your brother," Stifflegs said. "And come back home. I want both my boys back at home where they belong,"

Fishlegs sank into the warmth of their bear hug once again. They let go.

Flora noticed a look of regret in his eyes. "Are you okay Fishy-Pie?"

Fishlegs looked agitated. "Mum, I just want to let you that -," he paused. He couldn't finish.

"That what dear?"

"That I'm sorry I was so jealous of Sigmund. That I'm sorry of how I resented you swooning over him the moment you chose to adopt him,"

"Oh Fishlegs…" Flora cupped his face. "You're both my sons and I love you both so much. I never meant to make you feel unloved. I just wanted that poor sad Sigmund to be part of her family, so he'd never have to feel lonely again,"

"I understand," Fishlegs agreed, remembering how heartbroken Sigmund was, a poor unloved soul was the day he was found by the Berkians and adopted into their family. "I should have seen you wanted to neutralise his pain as a child and give him what any lost child deserves. A home. And a family,"

"It's never been easy for him as it ever has been you," Stifflegs told him. "He's your brother and so just as much as your family Fishlegs. And family means we take care of each other,"

"I promise you guys. I will find Sigmund and bring him home,"

"OH, come on!" Tuffnut moaned. "You're squeezing us to tight,"

"I just don't wanna let you both go! You're both still my babies. My precious babies," Mrs. Thorstan, commonly known as Thora said.

"Mum!" Ruffnut whined like a baby. "We're not your babies!"

Ragnar Thorstan giggled. "But you sound like one. And you cry like one too,"

Ruffnut suddenly burst out crying. "I don't wanna leave you guys!"

"Darling – we don't want you to leave us either, but you know you must go with your friends,"

Barf and Belch chirped sorrowfully. Their long necks reached forward, and they nuzzled their heads into the Thorstan family hug.

"**We'll take care of you,"** Barf promised.

Belch agreed. **"You've got us to hold onto,"**

"I know what you're thinking mum," Snotlout whined at his mother Freya. "You're going to be so proud of me when I come home,"

"**Snotlout!"** Hookfang shoved him in the back with his snout.

"I don't care whether you make me proud or not! I just want you to be safe!"

"Don't worry mum I'll be fine!" Snotlout scoffed, not opening his arms out for a hug.

Freya pulled her pompous boy into his arms. "Don't let your pride get ahead of your wellbeing, or your dragons, or your friends. Please?"

"Alright mum," Snotlout gave her, sinking into her warmth again. "Okay. I will. I promise,"

"Just make us proud out there," Spitelout piped embracing both his wife and son.

"Please focus on the well-being of your dragon and your team. That is your number one priority," Unlike her husband, Freya did not pride should come before the well-being of yourself. It was something that Hester's apparent actions in saving the Berkians had taught. She rose above her ride and rescued them all; despite the fact that she despised them all for their terrible treatment towards her.

The Riders mounted their dragons, with Astrid standing at the front. She and Stormfly were to lead this small team.

Stoick approached Astrid's side. "Astrid – please tell Hester – that I've missed her a great deal," he requested softly.

"I will chief," Astrid promised. "I should anyway. I doubt it will be easy for her to believe,"

"Just try," Stoick begged. "I cannot leave this world unless I have a chance to make amends with her. No matter how long it takes, find her. Bring her home to me,"

Astrid nodded approvingly. She was devoted to Chief Stoick. He trusted her a great deal. He had in fact informed her about three months that if Hester were to remain away from Berk and never be found, Astrid would assume the throne. Astrid, although appreciative of the idea, didn't seem to like it very much. She felt unworthy of this position of high power, believing it was Hester who deserved who was more worthy of it. That was because she had something, she believed that she lacked herself: true compassion and true courage.

"You bring my boy home too," Gobber sobbed, walking up to her side as well. "I can't bear another day without him," His heart weighed heavier every day of not seeing his boy. Seeing his boy fly away with his best friends was like departing him from forever. And they would never see each other again until Valhalla, where his wife Gertrud would be waiting just to see her beloved husband, and her beloved son again.

"You lot are being ridiculous!" a grumpy voice shouted. The crowd were suddenly shocked.

Everyone twisted their heads to see a grouchy Viking approaching them. Mildew was a stiff but slim Viking with brushy grey locks poking out from out his head with a long moustache. He wore dirty shaggy yellow clothes with a Greek jacket and round wooden shoulder pads and scruffy boots. He carried a tall staff with dragon's teeth hanging off the top. His loyal pet was a woolly sheep with small horns tootling behind him.

"What have you come here to complain about Mildew?!" Stoick demanded.

"You kids are being ridiculous!" Mildew jeered, pointing his staff at the group ready to take off. "You're goanna be wasting time searching for a useless girl!"

"How dare you call Hester useless?!" Astrid shouted, supported by Stormfly's snarling at the snide man.

Mildew sneered back. "Your threats don't scare me dragon,"

"Enough Mildew!" Stoick bellowed.

Fungus jumped and cowered behind his master's legs, shuddering on his little legs.

"Mildew – those teens are going to find Hester and bring her home. Along with Garsir and Sigmund,"

"And that Night Fury as well?" Mildew rhetorically guesses with a scoff.

"Yes. Especially the Night Fury as well. It was because of him that my daughter was saved. And you will do well to choose your next words wisely Mildew," Stoick warned. "There's a good reason I ordered you to live on the outskirts of this village twenty years ago. If I dare hear you talk my daughter like that again, you'll be forced to leave this island for good,"

"Daughter?" Mildew sneered. "Are you really considering her your daughter? You didn't exactly her treat her like one earlier. Why should my words be any different than the ones you used on her every day?"

Stoick growled and tried to lash out at Mildew. But Gobber pulled him back.

"I'd leave if I were you," the blacksmith warned.

"I'll escort him back," a Viking named Gerda Larson voted. She grabbed the shrubby Viking by the shoulder and painfully pulled him away out of sight.

"I can't stand him," Flora Ingerman spat with hate.

"What am I going to go with?" Stoick asked, after finally managing to calm down.

"Come on Stoick," Stifflegs complained. "WE all know he should have been banished off this island years ago,"

"He is part of our tribe Stifflegs," Stoick objected. "This is his home,"

The Berkians took a moment before Gerda Larson arrived back with a stiff set of fingers. IT took a great deal of strength to drag the old man back to his home far outside the village. He pay be old, but he was not fragile nor weak.

"We must leave now!" Astrid spoke out. "We do not know how long it will be before the Red Death's Heir arrives to this place. We must find Hester, Sigmund, Garsir and Toothless as soon as possible,"

Stoick nodded in agreement. "Then go kids," he looked at them with hope and faith in his eyes. "Be safe. Bring her back,"

The teens nodded back. They looked ahead and so did the dragons. With a swish of wings, the dragons took off the island. The Berkians including Stoick and Gobber watched until the clouds engulfed them out of sight.

This was it. This was just the beginning. This was the time to prepare for whatever great battle lay ahead.

* * *

**Off they go now. Will they find them in time? Will they run into trouble? Be prepared. **


	12. The Glow

**The Glow:**

A Week had passed by in blur.

The group had settled happily on the island of the Tifespinners. Meanwhile, thanks to Sigmund's knowledge of sea waters' properties of killing any harmful microbes, Tifespike's wing made a complete recovery and her wound was no longer bleeding.

"Okay girl," Sigmund soothed. "I think we can take this bandage off,"

Tifespike brought her wing forward.

Sigmund undid the knot and unravelled the blooded piece of tunic cloth. The wound was sealed and had been healed completely.

"Looks like it's all better girl," he said happily.

"**Thank you. Thank you. Thank you,"** Tifespike licked his face and nuzzled him.

Hey guys!" a cheerfully female voice called.

The rider and dragon turned to see Hester approaching with Toothless. "How's Tifespike's wound?" she asked.

"It's much better. Look at her!" Sigmund squealed out.

"**Doesn't it look great?"** Tifespike opened out her wing.

Toothless was ecstatically happy for his new friend. **"That's wonderful,"**

"Good think you know a lot about using nature's resources in medicine and healing," Hester complimented with a proud look at Sigmund.

Sigmund smiled, thanking her for the compliment.

A flutter of wings filled their eardrums. They turned and saw Garsir and Skullbones approaching.

"Morning guys," Garsir greeted, sliding off Skullbones's neck. "I see Tifespike's wing is completely healed,"

"It is pal," Sigmund smiled.

"How has Skullbones got on with his practicing?" Hester asked. "Has he got complete control over his roar yet?"

For the past week, every morning, at first light, Garsir and Skullbones had taken private lessons on how to control Skullbones's roar. He did not want to roar or speak in dragon tongue without disturbing a community of dragons.

"It seems Skullbones has got complete control of his roar," Garsir spoke proudly.

"That's wonderful pal," Sigmund said, proud of one of his best pal, patting him on the back.

"**Thank you Garsir,"** Skullbones cooed gently, his voice softer. He nuzzled his rider and Garsir hugged his snout.

"I'm glad I could help boy," he lovingly alleged to his dragon.

"Anyone up for a small adventure?" Hester yipped in.

"**I'm up for one!"** Toothless voted.

"Me too," the boys jinxed.

Sigmund's smile turned to Tifespike. He hoped she'd be up for a flight away from the island for an adventure. But she looked agitated.

Sigmund's smile dropped. "What's wrong girl?"

"**I don't want to leave my home," **Tifespike shook her head.

"We won't go far Tifespike," Sigmund promised. "And we'll be back before sunset. Besides, don't you want to see a bit of what's past your island?"

Tifespike was still agitated.

Skullbones and Toothless decided to step in.

"**Could you at least try it?"** Toothless inquired. **"There's so much out there aside from just this island?"**

"**I'm not really sure, I've never left this island my whole life,"** Tifespike expressed. **"So I'm not really sure if I'm brave enough,"**

"**You won't be alone,"** Skullbones promised. **"We'll be right beside you with our riders. And you'll have Sigmund too. He'll make you feel safe. So will we,"**

Tifespike took a moment to think. She saw the hopeful glances in Toothless and Skullbones's eyes; they would be her source of courage and protection. "Okay," she agreed. "I'll try it,"

"Thatta brave girl," Sigmund scratched her chin and she gurgled in a playful manner.

"Isn't this just fun?!" Hester wailed into the winds, stretching out her arms to feel the air flying into her skin.

Sigmund and Garsir copied her actions and laughed ecstatically as well.

Sigmund's smile grew larger when he noticed how calm and relaxed his dragon was as she flew. She was as keen and excited as he was as a kid, to have fun with friends and seek adventure.

Toothless and Skullbones smiled seeing Tifespike enjoying their flight across the sea. It seemed that being with friends made her feel less scared and more determined to seek adventure. But it wouldn't hurt to check on her.

"**Are you enjoying it Tifespike?"** Toothless asked one of his new friends.

"**I am Toothless," **Tifespike smiled at him and Skullbones proudly. **"It just took one flap of wings to take off and realise you want to go further,"**

"**We knew you would!"** Skullbones cheered.

For a long while, all the three pairs could see was endless ocean. It didn't seem they were in luck of finding another island or another source of adventure.

"So much for my idea of finding an adventure," Hester muttered disappointedly.

"Maybe we should head back," Sigmund decided. "I don't the idea of flying for hours over endless ocean. I can tell Garsir's starting to get bored,"

Garsir had slummed his chin on Skullbones's head between his horns, his arms were dangling down his siders. "Can we please head back?" he grumbled.

Just when they were about to order their dragons to turned back, Toothless roared. **"Look another island!"**

The riders looked up to see a magnificent mysterious island lying not too far outside, it was just where the line of the ocean met the boundary of the sky.

Hester giggled with delight. "I knew we'd fine one.

"Let's go exploring!" Sigmund jeered.

"Whoo hoo!" Garsir piped in, free of his bored state. "I can't stand another second over the sea,"

Toothless, Tifespike and Skullbones flew faster towards their destination. They found a perfect place to land. They landed on a sandy cliff standing thirty feet above the ocean.

"Thank goodness," Hester breathed out. She patted her dragon's head. "You must be tired bud,"

"I am," Toothless admitted. "I need to rest,"

Tifespike and Skullbones were panting a bit. Their riders didn't want to push them more.

"Why don't we just walk around the island?" Sigmund suggested. "I think they've had enough flying for now,"

"Good idea," Garsir approved.

Hester nodded in agreement.

They scoured the island for hours. Every cave, every cliff, every cove. There was nothing. No sign of life. No dragon. Not even a tribe of Vikings. The island was just fauna and rock.

"There's nothing here," Sigmund puffed out, panting and falling onto a pad of rock. "We've been searching for hours and we haven't found anything but rocks, rocks, rocks!"

"So much for adventure," Garsir muttered Hester's previous words. "Guess we'll head back then,"

A gurgling rumble came from Sigmund's stomach. "Let's just eat first," he said.

Hester fished out some fish and some apples from Toothless's saddle bag and handed it to him and Garsir.

"I'm not really hungry," she said. "You guys have it,"d

Toothless decided to have a nap. He curled around Hester and closed her eyes, with Hester stroking his head and humming a soothing song to keep him asleep. He crooned caringly in his sleep to her divine voice. Hester laid against his back and relax herself. Tifespike and Skullbones decided to take a little nap too. They curled around their riders like Toothless and the boys laid against their soft scales. Another hour passed and the Hester was the only once still awake, watching her boys and their new friends sleep. What would she do without them? She smiled in her thoughts.

The wind whistled in her hair and into her ear drums. She felt the spell of sleep start to overtake her…when a swift wail rang her eardrums. She sat up. Was it a dragon? She steered her head around. There was nothing. Swiftly, a strange feeling fizzed in Hester's head. She felt a strange sort of feeling, pulling her to turn her face right. She looked right. Just over Toothless, about a hundred yards from their resting spot, a cave entrance, carved into a wall of solid stone, black as night. She narrowed her eyes. Just as she did, a bright glow illuminated, burning up her eyes. Hester turned away, cringingly quietly from the fiery force of that light's radiance. She felt the burn cool down and realised the light was receding and retreating further into the tunnel leading deep into the cave.

Hester felt her heart lifting to the sight of that glow that was moving away. Like something calling her to it. She was enhanced by that light. She turned and started stepping forwards at a quiet pace. She squeezed through and stalking down the pathway, following the glow still retreating further onwards. She stepped over boulders, ducked under branches and climbed onto ledges as she pursued this strange light. A long while passed and it seemed that the pathway had come to a halt. Hester squeezed out.

She found herself in a gigantic chamber with a lofty ceiling and black cold walls, where water dripped from above. Vines and leaves covered the walls from top to bottom and pools of water were scattered everywhere. Hester stared around. There was no life. No dragon.

A shimmering sound made her turn forwards. Thousands of steps away at the very end of the cave was the majestic glow, bigger and brighter than when she had first seen it. She felt a voice ringing her head, calling her to come forward. And that was what she did. Her steps were slower as her eyes were entranced by its dazzling glow.

Back at their little campsite, the cast of sleep had started to fall off Sigmund. He sat up and yawned and stretched out his arms. He puckered his lips and rubbed his eyes. Once he rubbed his eyes, his heart suddenly leapt into his throat. Hester wasn't resting against Toothless. She wasn't there.

"Everyone wake up!" he shouted, shaking his dragon's head, waking her up. "Hester's gone!"

"What?" Garsir asked tiredly.

"Hester's gone! Look!"

Garsir turned and looked. He gasped. Hester wasn't resting against Toothless.

Toothless started panicking the moment he was jolting awake by Sigmund's started voice. **"Hester?!"** Toothless roared in fright.** "Hester!"**

"Look!" Tifespike roared.

"What is it girl?" Sigmund asked.

Tifespike steered her head and saw a trail of small boot-prints leading to a cave tunnel, a cave tunnel that they hadn't see.

"Hester went in there?" Garsir asked. "Why did she go in there alone?"

"Who cares? We have to go in after her!" Already Toothless had bounded towards the cave. He looked back at everyone else. "Come on! Hester couldn't be in trouble!"

Everyone rushed behind him to the cave. Unfortunately, once they were close enough to make out the size, they really it was only big enough for Toothless and Tifespike but not quite for Skullbones. Not unless he bent down his head but he didn't like that idea of bending down his bony neck.

"Oh dear," Garsir said. "Looks too short for Skullbones and Tifespike to come through,"

"Okay. Tifespike you stay here with Skullbones and keep him company," Sigmund instructed. "We'll be back soon,"

Tifespike nuzzled Sigmund's hands, not really wanting him to leave her.

"I'll be fine girl," Sigmund assured kissing her head.

"Stay strong boy," Garsir said to his dragon. "Keep an eye out for danger while we search for Hester,"

"**You got it,"** Skullbones promised.

Skullbones and Tifespike took their guard positions whilst Garsir and Sigmund hopped onto Toothless's back. Toothless pounded off like a predator on prey.

Hester was still entranced by the mesmerising glow of that light. The closer she came to it, the closer she could make out what it was. The glow was being given off by a magnificent, miraculous, crystal. A crystal that shone as bright as the sun, as bright as the golden palaces of Valhalla. She reached forward a hand, then a finger to touch.

"**Hester!" **a loud dragon voice rang in her eardrums. But she paid no attention. The voice inside her head that called her to the crystal was too spellbinding for her to ignore.

"Hester!" two loud male voices rang louder.

Yet again Hester ignored the voice.

Toothless with his riders had just entered the chamber at the end of the cave tunnel when they saw Hester standing in front of a crystal.

"Hester!" Sigmund shouted the loudest that he possible could.

"What is she doing?" Garsir asked loudly. He felt a tingling feeling simmering under his skin when he saw the glow of the crystal. "What is that thing?"

Toothless enhanced his sight and saw Hester's posture lifting. "She's going to try and touch it! Hester! Stop!" he bounded towards her, faster than he ever could on his four legs. But he wasn't quick enough.

Hester touched the crystal.

_Boom!_

* * *

Woah. What was that glow? Why was Hester attracted to that glow? Is it to do with her ability to understand dragons? Is this going to give her powers?


	13. Crystal Creatures

**Crystal Creatures: **

Everyone was knocked by a mighty blast off their feet. Including Hester. Sigmund and Garsir were knocked off Toothless's back from the blast.

They all succumbed to the darkness for a while.

Toothless was the first one to wake up. He felt dizzy for a while, but he shook his head to gain full focus. His eyes widened when he saw Hester lying down, knocked out on the floor.

"**Hester?"** he bounded forward and he nudged her face. **"Come on Hester! Wake up! Please?"**

Much to his enjoyment, her face was turning. He licked his check and she was woken up faster.

Hester sighed. "What happened?" she moaned a bit in pain. She struggled to sit up so Toothless used his head to help her.

"Hester!" Sigmund cried out in relief as he woke up.

Garsir cringed in pain as he woke up. Once he saw Hester up as well, he stalked over to her with Sigmund. "Hester are you okay?" he asked.

"What happened?" she asked.

Sigmund gapped. "What do you mean what happened? You were walking towards a crystal – you touched it – and we all knocked back,"

Hester's mouth hung open. "What?!" She creased her eyebrows when she noticed the boys' eyes widened. "What is it?"

"Your skin," Garsir spoke a little weirdly. "It's glowing. With dragons,"

"What?" Hester breathed. She stared at her skin. There were dragon drawings etched and glowing on her skin. Hester couldn't breathe. She couldn't speak. What was happening to her? What had touching that crystal done to her?

Unexpectedly, Toothless's earflaps flicked up. he started growling.

"What is it bud?" Hester asked.

"Guys…" Garsir drifted off. "Is it just me? Or do Toothless and I see crystals moving?"

Sigmund and Hester looked forward. Surrounding the now dark and dim large crystal, (the one that Hester had touched, and had seemingly had its glow transferred from its solid core into her body), were crystals, forming into some sort of weird shapes were moving towards them.

"Those aren't crystals," Sigmund shook his head. "They're dragons made out of crystals,"

Hester felt her skin-hairs shooting up, her body tinglging in response.

"I don't think it's happy with you touching the crystal," Garsir dreaded.

The crystal dragons roared, opening out their crystal wings.

"Ahhh!" all three humans screamed.

"**Take that,"** Toothless fired a blast. But the blast didn't even put a dent in the nearest crystal dragon's skin. **"What the…"**

"Oh Thor," Garsir panicked.

Suddenly the crystal dragon shot out a glowing pulse at the group. Toothless pushed them all to safety.

"Let's get out of here!" Hester screamed. Immediately they jumped onto Toothless's back and he started bounding on his four legs down the tunnel, the crystal dragons hot on his tail.

"They're following us!" Garsir cried out.

As he sprinted on all fours, Toothless shot numbers of plasma blasts at the ceiling, causing series of rocks to fall from the ceiling until he reached his limit. The rocks managed to slow down their pursuers, but they weren't goanna give up that easy.

"They'll still behind us!" Sigmund screamed. "Tifespike!" he called down the tunnel.

Still guarding the entrance outside, Tifespike and Skullbones's ear drums flicked when they heard screaming from the tunnel.

"It's Sigmund Tifespike realised. "Stay out here Skullbones. You're not big enough to come inside and help,"

"Be careful," Skullbones warned his friend.

Tifespike took off and zoomed down at the tunnel. She managed to spot her friends. But she started growling when she saw their pursuers.

"Get them to safety," she roared to Toothless. "I'll handle these guys!"

"Be safe!"

Once he passed under her, Tifespike landed on the ground, growling at the crystal creatures. Tifespike fired at the dragons. She managed to hold them back for a while until her limit was reached too. She turned back and pursued after her friends. As she did, using her three tail spikes and the sharp spikes on her wings, she sliced down stalactites and scratched along the cave walls causing much larger slides of rock to slow them down. She managed to catch up to her friends just as they managed to make it out of the cave.

Skullbones got an idea. He fired a series of fireballs at the ceiling. The entrance collapsed and the crystal creatures were trapped in the cave.

"Let's get of here!" Toothless ordered his friends. Sigmund jumped onto Tifespike, Garsir jumped onto Skullbones.

As fast as their rested wings could carry them, the three dragons soared high into the sky, getting as far away as they could from that island. Just far enough to get too far away from whatever those dragons made out of crystals were so that they wouldn't track them down.

"Pheww," Hester tiredly panted. "That was close," She noticed Sigmund was frowning at her. "What?" she confusedly questioned.

"Why did you go in there by yourself Hester?" Sigmund snapped. "What were you thinking of touch that crystal?

"Don't you remember our vow to stick together always?" Garsir irritably questioned.

Hester sighed. "Look guys…when I was about to drift off like you five – I heard a wail in my head. I didn't know whether it was the wind or whether it was a voice. I then saw that glow and I felt attracted to it. As if there was a voice calling from it. It drew me away to follow it into that chamber with the crystal. Then that voice just rang in my head again. It compelled me to touch that crystal,"

"Didn't you hear our voices?" Garsir asked.

Hester shook her head. "I didn't. I was too influenced on its glow. Do I look different still?" she asked.

"No," Sigmund shook his head. "Your skin isn't glowing with dragon pictures anymore,"

Hester look at her skin. Her heart was lifted when she realised the affects had worn off. She wasn't sure though if whatever had flowed into her body from that crystal would not cause her skin to glow again with dragon drawings.

"Do you guys think I might glow again?" Hester asked a little worriedly. "I don't want to look like that again,"

"You're perfectly alright," Garsir promised. "Nothing's happened to you,"

"I say we just get to sleep when we get back and then forget all about it," Sigmund decisively submitted. "Tomorrow it'll all just feel like a bad dream,"

Hester was in agreement. "I just want to forget it. I just want to never touch something I don't know again,"

In less than an hour, the three dragons had arrived back on the island of the Tifespinners. The pack, particularly Tifespike's parents, were relieved to see that they were safe and sound. They made camp again at their cove and they drifted off to sleep. Hester couldn't sleep again. She still couldn't lift the events that had occurred today. What was that crystal? What was that voice that rang inside her head and compelled her to touch that crystal? Why did she have dragon drawings that glowed like the sun on her skin just for a moment? What were those creatures made out of crystal that had tried to chase them and kill them?

The desperate desire to know the answers to those questions made her feel uneasy. She felt fear filling up in her heart and coursing through her body like a river of fear. Whatever had happened today, she had Toothless. She had Sigmund and Tifespike. She had Garsir and Skullbones. They would protect her. Just as long as they were all together they would be perfectly safe and warm.

* * *

**Oh my! What has Hester gained from touching that crystal? What were those creatures? When will they reunite with the others? Next chapter? Chapter after that? Oh, we'll have to wait and find out. Thank you so much Mariah for everything so far. **


	14. An Unexpectant Surprise

**An Unexpectant Surprise: **

On a rock island made of coal and where guizers shot smelly mist into the air, Rafashfear was resting peacefully along with a majority of his soldiers. Some of his dragon-daemons were standing up right on the lookout for danger. His number-two was staring intently out for danger. He moved no muscle except the muscle of his eyeballs from side to side. The sun was rising where the sky met the sea, creating a spectrum of colour.

Suddenly he felt a strange shake beneath his feet, his blood boiled in his body, his head started shaking. Just then he heard the growling of some dragons. They were reacting the same way. Whatever it was that had made them unsettled was miles away. He bounded to his master. **"Master wake up! Wake up!"**

Rafashfear was shaken awake. Once he was up, he became as huffy as a honey badger. **"What's the big idea waking me up?!"** he demanded.

"**Master, my blood is reacting to something. All our blood is reacting to something. We believe it could be the source of our origins," **

Those words made Rafashfear look at him darkly.

"**I believe the source of our species has been touched,"**

"**Who could have disturbed it?"**

"**I don't know,"** his second drifted off into a flight of thought. **"I wonder…"** he looked back up at its master. **"What if it was the girl who killed your mother?"**

The mention of his mother's killer made Rafashfear boil up in fire.

"**Master…"** another dragon daemon addressed. "**I can smell a group of dragons and humans far out at sea. About two miles out,"**

Rafashfear's eyes wrinkled as he stared far out across the sea. **"Follow them. See what they are up to," **

"**Yes master," **the other dragon genuflected. He prepared to take off, leading a group of twenty, but he was stopped.

"**Once you find out about these humans and their dragons, search for that girl and her Night Fury. If she is the one who touched the source of your creation, then kill her. If she has touched it, it could mean the end of everything,"**

Astrid and Stormfly flew across the sea leading their group of friends. Fishlegs was yawning and still snoring on Meatlug who looked like she was flying in her sleep. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were lying on their stomachs on their dragons' saddles. Snotlout was busy adjusting his helmet on his head but Hookfang kept smacking his horns to move it out of place, much to his annoyance.

Astrid was getting displeased. It was as if their mission of finding Hester, Toothless, Sigmund and Garsir. **"Seriously guys?!"**

"**Focus!"** Stormfly roared.

Fishlegs and the twins jolted awake. Snotlout jumped on his saddle, much to his dragon's amusement. He needed that lesson.

"Can we please just focus?!" Astrid asked. "Don't any of you want to find Hester and save our home? Don't any of you want to find Sigmund and Garsir?"

"What sort of a stupid question is that?!" Fishlegs demanded. "You think I don't want to find my brother?"

"Well you look like you want to sleep,"

"I'm tired Astrid. What do you expect?"

"That's because we've been searching for days!" Snotlout whined.

"It's only been a few days," Astrid corrected. "We cannot give up,"

"What if Hester doesn't want to be found?" Snotlout demanded.

"What if she knows that we are looking for her and she keeps flying further and further away?" Tuffnut thought up.

"There's no way she would know that!" Astrid snapped.

"Hey! There's no need to get so huffy!" Ruffnut retorted.

"I'm not huffy!" Astrid's booming voice made everyone shuddered. She looked into their shocked eyes and sighed. She was too hard. "I'm sorry," she apologised. "It's just I'm worried about them. I'm worried about home. It's just…we can't give up yet,"

"Guys look!" Fishlegs shrieked. He pointed forward. "Look another island!"

Astrid fished out a spyglass from her bag and looked through it. Just as Fishlegs had said, there was a large magnificent island. "Head for that island everyone!"

Hester was the first one to wake up. She stood up and stretched out her arms giving out a mighty yawn. She stepped over to the pond and took a sip of the fresh cool water. She noticed Toothless beside her and he took a sip of the lovely water too. "Morning bud," she greeted.

"**Morning Hester,"** Toothless greeted. **"Are you feeling alright?"**

"Yes bud. I'm fine," Hester sighed. "I couldn't really sleep well last night. Not after what happened yesterday,"

"**Everything will be alright,"** Toothless promised. **"If those creatures come after us, I will protect you," **he vowed. **"I promise," **he nuzzled her hands and she hugged his neck, taking in the warmth of his love.

"What would I do without you or the boys bud,"

"Sleep alright?" Sigmund asked coming besides them.

"Yep. You?"

"Yep," Sigmund repeated her words. He took a sip out of the water.

"I…I wouldn't drink that Sigmund," Hester warned a little awkwardly. "Toothless has just licked in it,"

Sigmund stopped drinking. She spat it out. "Ewww!" he cried out. He kept spitting out into the water until he didn't feel anything slimy in his mouth. "That is disgusting!"

He heard giggling and chuckling behind him.

"I – I –"Garsir struggled to breathe and speak as he giggled. "I can't believe you drank dragon saliva,"

"**That was so funny,"** Skullbones chuckled.

"That is not in any way funny!" Sigmund retorted.

Tifespike who had awoken too, roared at them. **"That's enough you two,"**

Garsir and Skullbones stopped. They looked ashamed as they saw Sigmund was both upset and riled with them.

"Sorry pal," Garsir apologised. "We didn't mean it,"

Sigmund just pulled on a goofy smile. "I'm just messing with you guys,"

That brought laughter to the whole group.

'_Growl'_

The whole Tifespinner pack, already awoken, started growling. They were agitated. The mothers with their still adolescent hatchlings were scared.

Tifespike started growling too.

"What is it girl?" Sigmund tried to sooth her.

Toothless and Skullbones could sense something too. They started growling. The three humans noticed that they were staring up at the cliff of the cove, the very same cliff that they had stood on upon discovering these new species.

Hester felt her heart fall.

"Something's here," she panicked.

"**It must be those creatures,"** Toothless growled. **"They came after us. But how did they find us?" **

"**We have to strike now!" **Tifespike roared.

"**Let's do this," **Skullbones decided.

The three humans shared a look of determination. They were not goanna cower. They were goanna fight. They sat astride their dragons. Everybody took off, roaring, preparing to fire. Once they were above the cove, they dived down towards the cliffs. They crashed through the trees, only to be met with screams such as "No!" or "It's us!"

The Trio, their dragons and the pack (standing posed on the ground) seized their attack. They weren't crystal creatures. They were a Deadly Nadder, a Monstrous Nightmare, a Gronkle, a Zippleback, and five riders.

"Astrid?" Hester asked out surprised.

"Fishlegs?" Sigmund gasped out.

"Snotlout?" Garsir asked.

"Hey! No Tuffnut? or 'Ruffnut?'" Tuffnut demanded offended.

"We're right here you know. Right here!" Ruffnut ranted.

The Vikings lowered their weapons. Toothless, Skullbones, Tifespike and the Tifespinner pack (with some reassurance from Sigmund) calmed down. So did Stormfly, Hookfang, Meatlug and Barf and Belch. The Trio were flabbergasted. They hadn't seen them for months. Now they were here?

"What are you guys doing here?" Hester questioned.

* * *

**They've been found. Now here comes the tricky part. Getting Hester to come back. **


	15. Not-so-easy-to-persuade

**Not so easy to Persuade: **

"Searching for you three of course!" Astrid retorted, maddened they didn't see the obvious.

"Have you guys been here all this time?" Snotlout asked.

"Not quite," Hester answered.

"Just what exactly is that dragon?" Fishlegs asked, ecstatic as a child at a celebration as he gazed at the dragon beside his brother.

"That is a Tifespinner," Sigmund introduced with a straight glance. "Her name is Tifespike,"

"Are you seriously focused on a new dragon right now?" the affronted Astrid demanded. "We just found your brother!"

"Of course I'm relived!" Fishlegs said offended.

"Really, because you seem to too focused onnnnnnn…" Tuffnut drifted off looking at Tifespike.

She tilted her face a bit, looking confusedly at the Viking who knew her rider.

"What exactly is this thing?" Ruffnut asked.

Smacking his face, Sigmund sighed. "Did you not hear what I said. It's a Tifespinner,"

"It looks so pretty," Tuffnut sounded as if he was in a dream. "And those tails…" he was gazing dreamingly at her tail spikes. "And those spikes…" he attempted to touch them.

"Ah – uh – uh!" Sigmund shouted. "Don't touch her tail spikes. They are very poisonous. They'll kill you instantly the moment you touch them,"

"Awesome!" he jeered out.

Sigmund groaned loudly.

Tuffnut smiled in an anxious state. "Not so awesome?"

"Let's just focus back on the subject please," Astrid insisted. She addressed to the Trio next. "We've been searching for you guys since yesterday. We need you guys to come back to Berk. We need you Hester,"

Hester huffed. "No one needs me. You've wasted your time searching," She was mount to back on Toothless.

"We don't want to go back," Sigmund supported, mounting his dragon. "We want to stay here,"

"But we've come all this way brother," Fishlegs reasoned.

Sigmund glared at him. Was he really calling him that? After all those years of resentment? "Are you really calling me that?" He wanted to stomp up at it and punch Fishlegs in the face, but Garsir's palm on his shoulder kept him at bay.

"Easy Sigmund," he implored.

"Can we at least talk?" Astrid beseeched beggingly.

Hester sighed. She wasn't going to give up that easily. "Okay," she agreed. "But only with you Astrid,"

"I am not leaving you alone with

"Fine!" Sigmund sighed. "Since you seem to be focused on knowing what kind of dragon it is, I'll be the one introducing it,"

"And I am goanna keep an eye on you guys," Garsir pointed at Snotlout and the twins. "To make sure you don't disturb the peaceful state of this island. This island belongs to these Tifespinners. And they don't not like any damage done to it,"

"That's right," the Boneknapper replied, growling a bit.

"**Hey back off,"** Barf snarled.

"**Yeah back off,"** Belch supported.

"So, no blowing up anything,"

Ruffnut and Tuffnut growled.

"No firing on the vegetation. No eating too much fish. These Tifespinners have a very complex diet of both flora and fauna. And they need to have equal amounts of both these types of food,"

So the group were split up. Sigmund, Tifespike and the Tifespinner pack took Fishlegs and Meatlug down to the cove where Sigmund began to teach his brother about this new type of dragon.

Garsir and Skullbones had Snotlout and the twins and their dragons stay where they were so they wouldn't cause trouble. To amuse them, Garsir decided to entertain them with the story of how and his best friends met the Boneknapper, proving once and for all the stories of his father facing this bone dragon were true all along.

Astrid and Hester went to a different part of the island on their dragons.

"What's all this about me needing to go back home?" Hester questioned, leaning against Toothless and crossing her arms.

"Look – a few nights ago, Thor came to us in a dream. He warned us that there was danger coming to Berk, a danger that we can't stop with dragons. But only you can,"

"What kind of danger?" Hester inquired.

"Hester – you're going to find this insane. But the Red Death gave birth to an heir,"

Hester was flabbergasted. So was Toothless. "An heir?"

Astrid nodded grimly. "Yes. He calls himself Rafashfear, and he controls an army of dragon-daemons that even dragon fire cannot penetrate,"

Toothless noticed Hester struggling to breathe where she was standing. He wrapped a wing around her to keep her protection. As he did Hester wondered: _If these dragons had skin that could not be penetrated, were they made of crystal? Like the ones back on the island where she had touched that crystal and where she and her best friends were attacked by those crystal creatures?_

"They're called Tifespinners because how they can spin around in circles at a fast pace. And they can even shop down anything. Almost like a Timberjack," Sigmund explained the reason for the species' name.

"Can you show me?" Fishlegs excitedly asked. Meatlug growled softly in approval.

Sigmund sighed. "Can you show them girl?" he requested to his dragon.

"Sure," Tifespike flapped her wings. Once she was high enough, she started spinning around in the air, stretching out her arms as if she was a spinning dancer in the air. As she spun, she started spinning around in circles and slicing every tree her spikes came into contact with as well as the rocks.

Fishlegs was so awed by that ability. Even Meatlug was.

Sigmund was heatedly annoyed by his bubbly nature with watching a new dragon. It seemed he had cared more about this new dragon rather than making amends with him.

Back at their point, Astrid rose up the crisis of the bad news. "Rafashfear is on his way to Berk to destroy it. But Thor told us in each of our dreams that only you could stop him. He said that you had something inside you that no one else has,"

Hester was sceptical about her claims. "Did he tell you what it was?" she desired proof.

"No," Astrid had to admit. "He doesn't even know. All he said was that it was to do with something that the Dragon Spirits had descended down onto our world a long time ago?"

Hester turned to Toothless. "Who are the Dragon Spirits bud?" she asked him, knowing he could possibly know.

"**They are the gods of dragons. The ones who created our kind. A long time before humans came into this world," **Toothless explained. **"It is a story carried down through centuries of our existence," **

Hester was intrigued by these Dragon Spirits. But she would not be swayed into come back to Berk. "I don't want anything to do with Berk," she declared. "How impossible can it be to defeat it? All you have to do is get your dragons to blast inside Rafashfear's mouth like Toothless did into his mothers,"

"We don't know if that would work or not," Astrid pointed. "We need you to come back to Berk,"

"Did you not hear anything I said?!" Hester demanded.

"You cannot let innocent people and their dragons die," Astrid pleaded. "And your father…"

The moment she mentioned 'father' Hester flew into a fiery tantrum. "He is not my father Astrid!"

Astrid felt blown back by her shout. Even Stormfly did.

"He is a selfish chief who can't keep his mouth shut and who can't listen to people. Second! He hates me! He never accepted me for who I am. He didn't listen to me. And then he smacks me!" Hester could never lift the image of Stoick delivering a mighty smack to her face with his hand that knocked her to the floor in tears. "Astrid! He ill-treated me my whole life! You have no idea what that feels like!"

"You think I don't?!" a softened Astrid asked. "I was pushed my whole life by my parents to become the best warrior on Berk. They told me that it should be my important focus on life,"

"Oh really? They expected you to see friendship as a weakness?" Hester asked. "But it was still your choice whether to ditch Garsir and me,"

"Hester!" Astrid shouted, attempting to gain the upper hand. "Don't you have any fault in how you were treated?"

Hester blinked, and her voice calmed down a bit. "Excuse me?

"You never listened to him," Astrid pointed out. "If you had just stayed where you were instead of trying to help out, which actually, led you to causing more havoc, then maybe he wouldn't have grown so hard on you,"

"Well maybe – if I wasn't bullied by the village for being scrawny and not as strong as them, I never would have wanted to keep disobeying him in order to get a chance to prove myself," Hester counter-argued. "And how is it fair that while you and the others get to do something useful, I can't do anything except be forced to work in the blacksmith shop with the boys. Everything I ever did was just to prove that I was more than just a neglected scrawny heir who everyone could call 'Hicca!' – just because of how I looked. Garsir and Sigmund accepted me for who I was. And Gobber. They didn't care what I looked like. They cared about me because of how I was kind and good. Which is more than can be said for you and the others who only care about glory and being best at everything,"

"**Yeah Astrid,"** Toothless snarled. **"I love Hester for everything of who she is. Selfish beings like you and those Vikings back at Berk aren't deserving of anything," **

Astrid couldn't understand him. But he didn't care. The only thing he cared was that his hatred was shown at her, clear as crystal.

Astrid would not give up. She had promised to find Stoick and take Hester home. "He talks about you! Every day! Every night he can't even go to sleep! I even heard him singing a ballad about his desire to change the past and to prove to you how much he loves you, how much he's missed you,"

"I don't believe you," Hester sceptically refused. "You think a chief who smacks his daughter thinks of her, thinks that he can just the past and go on with life like it never happened?!"

"**Hester," **Toothless interrupted. **"You're letting your anger consume you,"** He had never seen his human-sister more angered in her life than ever. She was not the same kind compassionate girl he was saw.

Taking her dragon's advice, Hester calmed down. Her calmness gave Astrid a chance to speak again.

"Look Hester, believe it or not, he misses you. And you must come back with us, back home,"

"This is my home," Hester gestured to the beautiful island that they were on. "This is where I'm happy, where I'm free, where I'm constantly given kindness and compassions,"

"Don't you think Garsir and Sigmund miss home?" Astrid argued.

"They seem happy here," Hester pointed out.

"Only because you're here too. Don't put your selfish desires above their wants to go home,"

"Now you're calling me 'selfish?!" Hester shouted.

Stormfly growled, ready to fire. **"Back off girl!"**

"**You back off!"** Toothless jumped in front of Hester and snarled at the Deadly Nadder, preparing to fire on her too.

"Stop!" both Astrid and Hester shouted, pulling their dragons back and calmed them down.

"Please Hester," Astrid begged. "If you found it in your heart to rescue us from the Red Death, surely you can do the same again. WE need you. Only you can defeat the Red Death's Heir and save us all,"

"Why can't the gods do it?"

"Because it is against the covenant, they made with the Dragon Spirits centuries ago before our beginnings to not harm any dragon,"

Hester was fuming by the second. How is it that Berk has to rely on her again instead of the gods? She turned her back on Astrid and went into deep thought. Toothless watched her carefully. Although he hated the Berkians for how they treated her and how they had chained him up, he did not want Hester to go down a dark path. He loved Hester for her warm heart. But her heart was slowly turning cold. No matter how much she despised Berk for its ill-treatment towards her, she could not turn dark. Much like Rafashfear or his mother.

Finally, after a moment Hester spoke again. "Just give me a moment to think about it," she requested. "I need to be alone," She proceeded to walk away but she noticed Toothless following her. "No bud," she shook her head. "This is something I need to discuss by myself,"

"**Please don't go,"** Toothless begged.

"I'll be fine bud," Hester promised, kissing his snout. "I'll be back soon,"

Toothless trusted her judgement and let her go.

Hester walked to the far side of the island over to a cliff. She sat down on a rock and started out towards miles of open ocean. It was beautiful with the blue layers of sea and sky. She wondered: _Could I go back to Berk? Could I really risk my lives for people who mistreated me again? Am I really being selfish influencing Garsir and Sigmund to stay with me? _She felt lost. She felt broken in her heart. _If only a god would come like last time and help me make the right decision_

"Hester…" a voice called above. "Hester…"

Hester stared up at the sky. She stood up and stared up too. It must be another god. Her belief was confirmed when she saw a giant head appear in the clouds from a spectrum of bright sunlight.

This time, it was not Odin. This God had blonde hair that fell down to his shoulders underneath a shiny silver helmet with wings and blue eyes.

"Alright Thor," Hester bowed down.

"Hester," he addressed proudly. "I have been waiting a long time to see you,"

"I never I would be visited by a god again," Hester confessed. "I remember your father,"

"I remember him leaving Asgard to descend down to speak to you. And now I have come,"

"I'm glad you came Thor. I feel so lost," Hester confessed.

"I know. I witnessed everything between you and Astrid down below,"

"Did you really have to influence them in their dreams? Couldn't you have just come down instead of sending them out?"

"I only warned them of the danger and that only you could stop. I never actually decided that they would be the ones to look for you. They decided that themselves,"

"I don't know what to do Thor," Hester slouched down on her seat again, burying her face in her hands.

"Look Hester, you must rise above it," Thor complied. "The teens and their dragons came out here – all by themselves – just to bring you and your best friends home. You can find it in your heart to see past it. Just like you did. You could have allowed them to get killed by the Red Death. But instead, you rose above your pain and saved them. Don't succumb to that pain now,"

"I just find it so hard," Hester confessed, her voice both a mixture of anger and sadness. "How can you ever feel like saving people who have never cared for you?"

"Not everyone on Berk hated you Hester. There was Gobber and Gothi," Thor reminded. "They never judged you for who you were. Besides, you cannot repay them by abandoning them to die. More importantly, you'll never be any different than them if you just stay here. Let me tell you this. Everyone on Berk admires you. I hear what they say about you. They wished they could take everything back and make it up to you. Save them. Prove to them who you really are. A Hero. Not a misfit who holds back,"

Hester turned her head away. In an instant she realised that should she allowed these people to know she would be no different from them, she felt as if she had allowed her anger to supressed her kindness and compassion, she felt as if staying away meaning influencing Sigmund and Garsir to stay with her meant being selfish. She couldn't go through with it.

"You're right Thor," Hester approved. "There are others on Berk who were good to me aside from Sigmund and Garsir. I cannot let them die,"

"You are a very brave kindred girl," Thor spoke proudly. "In all my year since I was born, I have never once – I mean never – seen anyone, as unique and special as you,"

"Will you stay with me?" she asked.

"I will. I will be watching over you always," Thor's face disappeared.

Hester turned around and walked down the hill, determined to do the right thing. And not the selfish thing.

* * *

**Wow. Hear that. Hester is going to do the right thing. Thank goodness she didn't go down a dark path. **


	16. The Island is attacked

**The Island is attacked: **

Astrid leaned against Stormfly, her knees drawn up and face pressing against them. Stormfly watched her rider with sorrow.

"**It'll be okay Astrid. You did everything you could,"** she licked her rider's cheek and Astrid managed a simple smile. Stormfly smiled back. She then focused her sight on Toothless, taking a little nap, dreaming about his rider.

"**Are you really certain that Hester will agree to this?"** she asked, interrupting his nap not to be mean but for a necessary purpose. **"Are you sure that she will come and help us?" **

Toothless lifted up head to speak to her. **"I am not sure. But I believe she will not go down this dark path. She is too good and too warm-hearted to do that,"**

"**How can you be sure?"** Stormfly was sceptical about Toothless's claim of this girl being warm-hearted. She sounded so cold towards her rider.

"**Because I know her Stormfly,"** Toothless defended. **"From the moment she spared my life and helped me fly again, I have seen something inside her that sets her apart from any other human I have encountered," **

The group heard footsteps approaching. The three turned and saw Hester coming back to them. Toothless bounded forward to her and she hugged his head.

"I'm coming back," she said. "You're right Astrid. I can find it in my heart to do the right thing. I won't let Berk fall no matter how much I hated my childhood there,"

Astrid smile was small. "Thank you," she said softly.

"Don't thank me yet," Hester said. "Thank me when this threat to Berk is quelled,"

Astrid's response was a nod.

The girls mounted their dragons and glided back to the cliffside overlooking the cove where Garsir and Skullbones waited with Snotlout, the twins and their dragons. Down below, Sigmund and Fishlegs saw them all group up together. They flew back up to them as well.

Sigmund, Hester and Garsir grouped together for a little private talk. Their dragons blocked the others were eavesdropping on them.

"Can you believe it guys?" Garsir asked. "The Red Death had an heir who's now on his way back to Berk to wipe everyone out?"

"Not only that but there are dragon-demons who can't be killed. You guys don't it could be like those crystal dragons we saw back on that island, do you?"

"I don't know," Hester shook her head. "But I'm going back. Alone,"

"We're coming with you!" Sigmund interjected. "You're not doing this alone!"

"I can't bear the thought of what would happen if you guys got hurt," Hester dreaded.

"Hester, the last time you went up against a giant dragon alone with just Toothless, you nearly died," Garsir reminded, her fear plaster on his face. "And…" he couldn't say it. He just gestured to the metal foot on Hester's leg.

"But Astrid said that Thor said only I can stop him. If you guys fight with me, then you'll die,"

"Doesn't mean we won't not fight by your side," a courageous Sigmund refused boldly. "No matter what you say Hester. We are helping you,"

Hester couldn't argue anymore. They would rather die by her side than hold back as if she meant nothing.

"We have to get back as soon as possible," Garsir said. "I never thought I'd say it but – I 'm glad we're going back. I miss my dad so much. And I cannot wait for him to meet Skullbones,"

"I can't wait to see my parents again," Sigmund said happily. "I really hope they'll love you Tifespike," Tifespike turned around and nuzzled him.

"And I promise you girl. Once this is over. I'll bring you back to your family. Or maybe your family and your pack could come with us! Would you like that?"

"**I'm not sure,"** Tifespike agitated. **"They'll be concerned about what your island has to offer in terms of food,"**

"Don't worry Tifespike," Hester promised. "There's plenty of fish. And flora for your pack. Plenty of food,"

"I hope you'll like my dad boy," Garsir spoke to his dragon as he gave him an affectionate scratch. "Even if you did chase for years and that he stole your bone,"

"**I suppose it wouldn't hurt meeting him,"** Skullbones considered.

"Can we get going already?" an impatient Snotlout groaned impatiently. "We have an island to save!"

"**Be patient!"** Toothless snapped.

Snotlout jumped with fright and hid behind Hookfang, much to the Monstrous Nightmare's amusement.

"That's not funny!" Snotlout groaned.

"Okay. We're going," Hester exasperatedly replied. "Oh Thor! You're so impatient,"

Suddenly, there was a wailing roar that shook the trees and rang everybody's eardrums. The dragons started growling. A threat was approaching.

"What was that?" Fishlegs panicked, shuddering like a fragile sheep.

The roar grew louder and louder.

"Please tell me that's not what I think it is," Hester pleaded as she recognised that sound.

"**I think it is,"** Toothless growled.

Suddenly, swarming out the sky was a flock of dragon-daemons. Their skin, although the colour of coal, looked like crystal, much to Hester's shock. "No," she gasped out. "No,"

The other teens, except Sigmund and Garsir who held her hands, looked at her questionably. Why was she so scared? Had she'd seen them before?

Toothless snarled and stood in front of his rider and close human friends.

"What's going on guys?" Astrid asked, drawing out her axe whilst her dragon uppricked her spikes.

"Uhh – is this really the time for questions Astrid?" Fishlegs trembled frightenedly.

"**Get her!"** the leader up above commanded. **"Kill the others whilst I capture that girl,"**

Instantly his servants dived down firing balls of explosive blasts. The dragons fired back, shielding their wings over their riders. It didn't little effect. Soon the different sides were split up, with each of the teen's dragons take on about three of them at once.

The riders struggled to stay safe and stay close to their dragons at the time.

Meanwhile, the leader of the group focused on their prize, on Hester. Before Hester could get a chance to mount him so he could fly, Toothless pounded forward onto the leader but the leader knocked Toothless away. After that he pinned a petrified Hester down on her beck. "Help!" she screamed.

"**Leave my Hester alone!"** Toothless blasted the leader and pinned off, standing protectively in front of his rider**. "Leave her alone!"**

Tifespike and Skullbones were at his side supporting him.

"**You mess with our riders' friend, you mess with us too,"** Tifespike aggressively warned, having come to consider Hester a close friend judging from her incredibly close friendship with Sigmund, and so did Skullbones.

"**You stay away from her!"** Skullbones let out a mighty thundering roar that actually knocked the smaller but more impenetrable dragons off their feet; even the leader.

They fired on the dragons and managed to knock them back a bit. Tifespike felt her hidden eardrums ring; she could hear her pack coming up to help her. Anyone who messed with her, messed with the rest.

Providing cover fire, the Alpha of the pack provided Hester, Sigmund and Garsir enough time to mount their dragons and fly up, giving them a greater advantage. The teens too.

"There's too many of them!" Snotlout cried.

"Ahhh!" Fishlegs screamed louder than even Skullbones. Only the feeling of riding his Meatlug made him feel a tinsy bit safe.

"We can't stop them and save the Tifespinner's island!" Astrid screamed. "We must go!"

"No! We cannot let them take the Tifespinner's island!" Sigmund shouted.

"Brother – it's either that or we die!" Fishlegs protested.

Sigmund couldn't agree, but Hester saw that with too many of these dragon-daemons meant too much destruction to put out. With a regretful decision, she gave out her command. "Everybody retreat!"

All the riders retreated up into the sky with no choice. The Tifespinner pack though wouldn't lose their island to those dragon daemons. Sigmund and Tifespike noticed and Tifespike dove down to stop them. Her rider called out urgently to them.

"Guys, the island is lost! You have to come with us!" Sigmund pleaded. "I'm sorry!"

The Tifespinner pack watched in horror as their precious island was destroyed. All the fauna was singed. All the fish was eaten. It was gone now.

"**I'm sure that my human's home will have plenty of mixed food for us," **Tifespike reasoned. **"We must trust him,"**

The Alpha took one last look below. They were right. It was already too singed for them to have enough food and continue living on. He commanded his pack to follow Tifespike and the others.

Every dragon disappeared into the clouds and flew as fast as their wings could carry them. After a moment, the dragons slowed down to save their energy. Luckily, they were too far to need to fly faster. They had a long journey ahead of them and they needed to save their energy.

As they flew over the sea, The Trio, their dragons and the Tifespinner pack were quiet.

Hester was hanging her head with guilt.

Sigmund sensed how heart-broken his dragon was over losing her home. "I'm so sorry girl," he patted his dragon's head. "I'm so sorry," He kissed her head to give her his love before addressing the Tifespinner Alpha and his pack. "I'm so sorry that your home is gone guys,"

"**It's not your doing," t**he prudent Alpha said. He showed a face of trust to Sigmund. Out of the humans he had seen, Sigmund was the one he trusted the most, considering the fact that he healed on of his own.

"It's all your fault guys!" Garsir shouted accusingly at the teens that weren't his friends.

"Our fault?!" Snotlout ranted back.

"Yes! You guys led them to this place. It's all your fault that the Tifespinners have lost their home! It's all your fault that Hester was nearly killed!"

"How were we supposed to know?" Astrid snapped back with Stormfly's supported.

An angry Sigmund joined in. "You should have known Astrid. You all should have known!"

"Stop! All of you!" the fiery Hester shouted.

Everyone was silenced.

"This isn't going to help anything! If anything, it's my fault! They were after me! They wanted me! It's my fault that we were nearly killed and that the Tifespinners have lost their home,"

"Don't blame yourself Hester," Fishlegs tried to console. Meatlug tried to hover closer to Toothless but he growled at her, not liking her company.

"I should have known they'd come looking for me," Hester remorse, speaking her thoughts out too loudly. "I didn't think they'd find us,"

"Why in the world would crystal creatures be after you?" Tuffnut asked confusedly. His question made the teens look at Hester.

"Well…" Ruffnut steered off, crossing her arms.

Hester wouldn't speak. She didn't even turn to address them.

"Why are you three not telling us what we need to know?" Astrid questioned.

"Because we don't trust you guys," Garsir said darkly.

Hester wanted to ignore them. But she could stop the feeling of being looked at so tensely. She noticed the other teens staring at her. They would not spare her the glare. "Fine," she huffed. "Alright. I'll tell you," For the next hour, she told the teens about their journey to that mysterious island the other day, how they went looking for adventure, how a mysterious voice ringing in her head influenced her to follow it, how it swayed her into touching that massive crystal that caused her skin to glow with dragon images and how those crystal creatures chased them off the island.

"So – you're thinking that those creatures were after you because of how you touched this giant crystal thingy?" Astrid asked.

Hester nodded.

Toothless sensed her fear and crooned comfortably, promising her his will to protect her at all costs.

"That's doesn't make sense," the clueless Ruffnut said, oblivious as a naïve child.

"Yeah – what happened again?" Tuffnut asked.

Hester smacked her forehead.

"Seriously?! Did you not listen to the story?" Sigmund questioned heatedly, becoming bad-tempered by the Thorsten's teen's ability to not listen or pay attention to anything anybody said, even his own sister or mother or father.

"Nope," Tuffnut shook his head.

"Look guys…Hester must have sort of connection with them," Fishlegs tried to add up the facts. "Whatever magic is inside her, that's what drawing her to us,"

"Oh, I feel so much better now," Hester said sarcastically.

Fishlegs was met with a dark glare from his brother. "Sorry,"

"Look Hester, nothing is going to happen to you," Garsir promised. "Like we said before, you are doing this alone. We will all face this together,"

"I think I know someone who might have answers," Astrid said.

Hester twisted her head to her. "Who?" she sounded desperate for answers. Anyone would do just as long as she got an answer.

"I think your father Stoick knows something," Astrid answered straight. "Something he doesn't want anyone else to know,"

A bewildered Snotlout gasped. "How can you say that Astrid? The chief keeping something secret? That's preposterous,"

"Come on Snotlout!" Astrid argued back. "You saw how he was about to say something back in his hut when we told him about our dream. I think he knows why you're only one who can defeat the Red Death's heir Hester. And perhaps, why you're connected to whatever crystal that was or why those crystal creatures were after you,"

"Then I have some questions for him," Hester said grimly.

"**I will have the greatest pleasure in scaring him into answering your questions if he refuses,"** Toothless promised.

Unexpectantly, Skullbones passed out a bellowing roar that made everybody's ear drums ring.

"What's that for boy?" Garsir asked.

"I think I know," Fishlegs jibbed up again. "Legend says that the Boneknapper's roar is its mating call,"

"That's just a myth!" Garsir protested.

Suddenly, five female Boneknappers appeared out of the clouds.

"**Hello!"** Skullbones ailed.

"**Hello!"** every female called back.

"Ooo!" Garsir teased. "I bed you have a way with the ladies,"

Skullbones growled playfully, making Garsir laugh.

"Woah!" everyone else said in wonder. Even the wonder seemed to make Hester's spirits lift up a bit.

"Now we've got back up," Sigmund said. "These dragon-demons may have impenetrable skin but that does not mean we can't delay their attacks. We're going to need all the help we can get,"

The remainder of their journey was quiet. Hester was bracing herself for what was to come and what she would have to face – sooner or later. Toothless worriedly consoled her. Within another few hours, the group along with the Tifespinner pack and all the female Boneknappers were in sight of the last island that Hester had ever thought she'd see again. Berk.

* * *

**Oh my. They're home again. Wonder how Hester will handle it? At least she has Toothless and her boys and their dragons. What is Stoick hiding? Will they discuss the matter or focus on preparations? We'll have to wait to find out. **


	17. Back home to Berk

**Back on Berk: **

The group flew further and further towards Berk. Sigmund saw how nervous the Tifespinner pack was. They hadn't been to any island where there were hundreds of humans; this made them terrified. However, Tifespike's trust in him made the pack trust his judgment.

Toothless noticed that Hester looked anxious. She looked pale as a ghost and shuddered like sheep, the feeling growing colder and colder the closer he flew further on. **"Are you alright Hester?"** he asked.

"I'm fine bud," his prudent rider tried to downplay her emotions; her dragon knew her too well to fall for it.

"**Please tell me what's wrong Hester?"** he pleaded.

Hester answered truthfully: "This place – it just has too many memories. I don't know how everyone will react when I come. They might not hate me anymore, but I don't feel comfortable around them,"

"**I'll protect you,"** Toothless twisted his head so Hester could see his eyes filled with love and loyalty. **"I promise,"**

Hester managed a small smile. His protection as well as her best friends was everything she could ever want.

Outside their house, in the early morning, Ingrid Hofferson and Asher were waiting outside, walking around in circles, worried about their daughter. They knew she was a well-trained warrior, but that didn't mean they didn't fear for her safety.

"We must try to calm down Ingrid," Asher spoke. "Astrid has Stormfly to protect her. And we've trained her all her life. She will live,"

"You've been saying that for days!" Ingrid complained.

"Only because you keep worrying like our dear girl is just a helpless girl,"

"You did two,"

Before their bicker could continue, they heard a growling in in the wind. They stopped. They thought they felt their hearts stop too. They had been struck by the sound of a Deadly Nadder – Stormfly.

They looked up. Their eyes enlarged at the sight of Astrid flying above on her dragon with her friends, Hester, the Night Fury who had saved her, and two new species of dragons. "It's Astrid!" Ingrid squealed out.

"Everybody! Get up! They're back! They're back! They're back!" Asher shouted, his loud voice echoing across the village to every window. The whole village woke up. They would have yelled at Asher, but they had realised that he was right when they looked up to the sky. They gasped. It was true. _They were back. They were home._

As Gobber rubbed his eyes, he caught sight of his son riding a Boneknapper. He gasped. Had his son actually trained a dragon who had been chasing after him all his life since he was a little boy who found that bone token? His heart was lifted more when he saw Sigmund riding an entirely new species of dragon and lead a pack of the same new species. _It was magnificent. Extraordinary. Why hadn't my ancestor Bork the Bold discovered it? Did he know about this?_

Spitelout and Freya looked up and saw their son riding in. He was safe, much to their luck. "What are those dragons?" Spitelout's eyes scrunched when he saw the strange dragons that were green or blue or turquoise and had yellow spikes over their body. "I've never seen one of those before,"

"Must be a new species that they discovered," Freya hinted.

Once the massive group of riders and dragons were hovering above the village. Everyone scuffled backwards to make room, so did their dragons. Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout and the twins were the first to land. Then begrudgingly the Trio and their dragons. However, they stopped halfway down when they saw how agitated the Tifespinner pack was.

"It's okay everyone," Sigmund promised. "These humans won't hurt you. They care for dragon. I know you're all shy – but you must trust me. It'll be fine,"

"**Let's trust him,"** Tifespike supported. **"Alpha, will you trust him as I do?"**

The leader of her pack nodded. As one of his most loyal members, he trusted her every word. **"Let's do it. We will not hesitate to attack if they threaten us though,"**

The Trio, their dragons and the pack landed down in a graceful manner. The sight of the new dragons particularly Skullbones and Tifespike made everyone's hearts seem to stop. The children fettled on their feet and hid behind their mothers. The mothers wrapped protective arms around their kids. The fathers drew no weapons, but remained strong, standing in front of their wives and kids.

Almost everyone had their eyes focused on a nervous Hester. They looked delighted, eager to walk up to her. She was petrified looking at everyone. Once they saw her as nothing but a 'Hicca', a walking disaster. Now they looked at her as a hero, the girl who brought peace between the dragons. That didn't excuse all the horrible things they said about her though that made her a little woozy being around them. Toothless snarled. Everyone gasped and stumbled back, their dragons growling at Toothless for his manner when their riders were just trying to be nice. **"Stay back,"** the protective Night Fury ordered. **"No one shall come near Hester unless they want to be barbequed,"**

Everyone stood back a bit. Once they did, Astrid and the others jumped off their dragons and ran into their parents' arms. They hugged and kissed their faces and the teen's dragons received grateful thanks from the parents for protecting their kids.

"Garsir?!" another voice broke out.

On his dragon, Garsir tilted his head and saw his father barging through the crowd at a frantic state.

"Garsir?!" Gobber cried out again, desperate for his son to sprint into his arms for a bear hug.

"Dad!" a joyful and tearful Garsir sprinted to his father and leapt into his arms.

Gobber swung him around several times and crushed his body into a tight bearhug. It was so tight that Garsir couldn't wrap his arms around his father's neck.

"I'm so sorry I left dad," Garsir apologised. "I just wanted to stick with Hester and Sigmund,"

"It's alright son," Gobber cupped his son's face. "I'm just glad you're safe," He pulled his son into another tight hug. His happy mood faltered when he noticed the Boneknapper standing over them. He turned pale. He hadn't seen that dragon in years.

His son sensed his discomfort. "It's okay Dad," he assured. "He's friendly. I trained him. His name is Skullbones,"

His father stared at him. "You trained the Boneknapper?"

Garsir nodded in a happy manner. "I did. Dad – remember that bone you gave me, the one you got when you were a boy? Well – it turns the Boneknapper kept chasing you all your life because he wanted it back. Without it, he couldn't roar,"

Gobber was intrigued by the story. "Really?"

He looked at the dragon that had chased him all his childhood. "Sorry boy,"

"**That's alright,"** Skullbones replied instantly. **"Better to forgive and forget. At least your son returned it and now I'm happy to have him for a rider," **

"He says that it is alright and that he is happy to have it back and he forgives you for taking his bone," Hester translated, coming over to them along with Sigmund.

Gobber's heart was lifted at seeing Hester and Sigmund again.

Immediately they dashed into his arms and shared a tight group hug along with Garsir.

"I'm so happy to see you Gobber," Hester hugged her mentor.

"We've missed you so much," Sigmund said.

"I'm just you're both back along with my boy. I'm glad you all took great care of each other," Gobber's voice was filled with relief.

"Is that really you Sigmund?" Flora's kind loving voice made Sigmund look down at her. She was weeping tears of joy along with her husband and even Fishlegs as well. Fishlegs had wanted to bring Sigmund back to them.

"It's me mother," Sigmund said. He slipped off Tifespike's neck and before he could get a chance to react, Flora pulled him to her chest and kissed her head.

"I can't believe that you're home! You're finally home," she expressed.

"We've missed you son," Stifflegs alleged, join in with the hug.

Fishlegs smiled a bit, but felt a little left out. Until his father offered out his hand to join. He gasped for joy and ran into it, squeezing his brother.

Sigmund felt a little too tight; he was happy to be back home with his family. He was even more happy that Fishlegs was hugging him too. He had never had a real hug from Fishlegs ever. "I've missed you guys," Sigmund conveyed. "I've missed you guys so much. I'm so sorry I left you guys behind. It wasn't personal,"

"Yes it was. But we admit, just like everyone else on this island we weren't good to Hester as we should have been," Stifflegs said as they realised their hold on their adoptive member. "You have every right to go with her and Garsir; they needed you. But not saying goodbye to us – hurt,"

"I'm sorry," Sigmund felt increasingly guilty for not saying goodbye, seeing the sad look in his father's fragile eyes. He couldn't tell them his reasons – not without hurting their feelings. "It won't happen again,"

"It had better," Flora smiled before gazing at Sigmund's new dragon. "Who is this? What species is this?"

"This is Tifespike. She's a new dragon we discovered; a Tifespinner,"

His parents were impressed.

"Why do you call her a Tifespinner?" Flora asked curiously.

"It would not to do it here," Sigmund advised, thinking of all the damage Tifespike's spinning could cause with her spikes. "Best to explain it somewhere where there's not a lot of huts,"

"Why's that?" his father asked.

Tifespike crooned and opened out her wings a bit, showing her spikes clear as crystal.

"Oh," Stifflegs got the point. "I get the point of those spikes,"

"Is that really you Hester?" Flora tried to approach but Toothless growled.

"Easy Toothless," Sigmund said. "That's just my mum,"

"Hester? Sigmund?" Gobber's voice made them turn and look at his delightful face.

The two dashed into his arms and they shared a tight group hug.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you guys," Gobber wept out.

Hester couldn't stop crying as she hugged her father figure. "We've missed you too,"

"There is no much we have to tell you," Sigmund admitted. "You are not going to believe how much as happened out there,"

"Let's save that for later," Gobber decided. "For now, let's all welcome you all back home,"

Before they could talk about this _welcome, _their conversation was interrupted by a growling scowling voice – a voice Hester hadn't wanted to hear again.

"Oh hardy ha! Let's welcome back the girl who deserted her tribe. And the buffoonish boys who didn't know whose sides to be on that they'd abandon their families," Mildew pouted preposterously, pushing past everyone who then glowered at him.

"Mildew," Hester grimaced.

"How nice it is to see you," Sigmund sarcastically replied back, walking over to Hester's side in a protective manner.

"We don't feel like hearing anything you have to say," Garsir warned, taking Hester's other side like his best Viking buddy.

"What brings you back to Berk after all this time?" Mildew inquired carefully as he crossed his arms. "Come to cause trouble again?"

"You take that back," Sigmund warned, pointing a deadly finger at the old man in a death-threatening manner.

"**I would back away I were you,"** Toothless snarled.

"Mildew, this is Toothless, who will gladly barbeque you and eat your sheep, if you don't skedaddle away. Not that anyone will miss you as well," Hester advised carefully.

"Well here's what I say. Berk doesn't need or want you Hester. Why don't you just fly back to where you came from. You don't belong here,"

"You shut up Mildew right now!" a sword-like voice snapped.

The Trio turned and saw Astrid approaching them in a threatening manner aimed at Mildew.

"Berk does need her. What it doesn't need is you, shouting such selfish things that you know aren't true! Now crawl back to the rusty hut from where you came," she didn't need to give a warning. Instead she just crackled her knuckles.

Mildew didn't freak out. Instead, he just stalked in a grumpy manner out of the village.

The Trio looked at Astrid, who looked back at them. She wasn't expecting a 'thank you' considering their past, but she received one from Hester nonetheless.

"Thank you," she never thought she would actually say thank you to her ex-best friend; she wasn't very grateful to her for standing up for her.

"Let me through!" another voice bellowed.

Hester stiffened at the voice. She knew exactly what it was. She felt her heart hammering rapidly in her chest, her throat tying itself into a knot. Sigmund and Garsir sensed her nervous state and held her hands. She gripped them tight.

Through the crowd barged through Stoick. The moment he was in front and he laid eyes on his daughter, he stopped. He didn't move an inch. He just stared hard at her, witnessing every glimpse he could capture on her.

Hester stared towards him, not sure what to do. She hadn't seen him in months ever since the Battle on Dragon Island. He looked so different from the abusive father she once saw him as.

"Hester…" Stoick spluttered out, but pause. He couldn't find the words.

"Don't talk to me," Hester's words were swift and strident. She walked past him without a second thought, pulling the boys with her. She didn't look at him. Sigmund and Garsir did the job for her, harbouring sharp glares at the chief. They still blamed him for what had happened to Hester all those months ago, and it would take a long time for them for cool down their fiery temper at him.

Toothless followed after them, snarling at the chief. He had saved him from drowning back on Dragon Island; it didn't mean he was in his good graces though. They walked away from the village and up the stone stairs to the Great Hall. This was where they were going to witness a meeting to discuss whatever tactic was required to stop the threat approaching.


	18. A not-so-useful meeting

**A not-so-useful meeting / Attack of the Red Death's Heir: **

Everyone marched inside the hall. Some dragons stalked inside with them since there was enough room as the hall was so humongous due to being carved inside a towering mountain. The Tifespinner pack remained outside but stayed on some green fields just near it. The Alpha did not feel comfortable with Tifespike going in there at first; he understood thought that she needed to stay with Sigmund. And she was old enough to look after herself – she would be perfectly safe.

Inside the hall, around the great round table, Hester was opposite everyone with Toothless and her best human friends and their dragons with her. Toothless kept holding a cold stare at everyone. He did not like how they had chained him up all those months ago, nor how they abused and bullied his Hester. He glared coldly at Stoick more than any human. Stoick did nothing to stare him back; he felt he deserved it for a reason.

But this was no time for silent rivalry.

"Everyone! We have gathered here to decide what strategy we must use to defend this island! An enemy more powerful than the red death is coming to our island sooner or later! And we must be prepared! Astrid, her friends and their dragons have brought my …." Stoick caught Hester's cold stare as well as her dragon's. She did not want to be called his daughter – not when he had selfishly disowned her all those years ago in this very hall. "Hester has been bought back. Now that she is here. We must help her prepare for to face the one that only she can stop. In the meantime, we must respect her. And her dragon too. First things first," he focused his gaze across the table to Hester. Everyone mimicked his line of vision.

Hester felt overwhelmed by the mass of eye pairs staring at her. A feeling of pressure began settle on her shoulders.

Gobber noticed that Stoick couldn't ask her question. "Hester, do you know anything about your gifts aside understanding dragons?" the blacksmith inquired.

"Not really," Hester had to confess. "I don't how only I can stop this threat approaching. I don't even know why I even have this gift. It's been a mystery to me ever since the day I met Toothless,"

"What about that island you went to?!" Fishlegs voice jeered up, as he was jumping up and down so Hester could see. "About those crystal dragons that attacked us?"

Everyone was alarmed by his words. They stared at her, facially requiring a questioning a story.

"What is he talking about?" a woman required.

"What are these crystal creatures?" a man demanded.

Everyone started jibbing at Hester with questions.

"Everyone! Quiet down!" Sigmund shouted, throwing his hands down. Nobody would calm down. Sigmund scowled irritably at Fishlegs who shivered under his cold gaze. He was such a big-mouthed blabber.

Garsir huffed. He looked at his dragons and clicked his fingers. _Click. Click. Click. _

Skullbones let out a might roar, louder and scarier than the wind. It was so powerful that the bonfire burning in the centre of the giant table was puffed out like candle. Everyone quieted down at once.

"Thank you boy," Garsir said.

"It was nothing," Skullbones crooned.

Garsir turned to the audience. "Everyone – stop overloading Hester with all these questions! She's already under enough pressure as it is. And it's her choice what she wishes with you all or not,"

"It's okay Garsir," Hester interjected. "I'll tell them because they're goanna stop staring at us like that until I do,"

With great reluctance, Hester shared the story of their previous adventure a number of nights ago. "We were attacked by crystal creatures," She explained. "Similar to the ones that were sent by Rafashfear to attack us. We flew to this mysterious island not far from where we discovered Sigmund's new dragon: Tifespike as well as her pack of Tifespinners,"

As she explained her story, giving out every little bit of detail including: the voice, the crystal, even what the crystal had done to her after she touched it, Sigmund felt a suspicious instinct swarming into his head as he eyed Stoick intently. The chief, although intrigued by Hester's story, looked scared, worried, as if he knew something. He didn't seem to be as confused or sceptical about her statements as much as his subjects or the dragons. Sigmund wondered if perhaps Stoick knew about these creatures. He was definitely going to be questioned after this meeting.

Once Hester had finished, a wave of muttering rose admits the crowd.

"And you really don't know why or how it happened?" Flora questioned over to her.

Hester shook her head.

"Could it be where you got that weird gift to understand dragons?" Spitelout questioned.

He was suddenly smacked in the face by Freya.

"Impossible," she spat out. "She's never left the island in her life so she couldn't have got it from there,"

"Well where did she get it from?" Spitelout questioned mockingly. "There's no way she could have been born with it. For all we know this could a goddess disguised amongst us,"

"That's absurd!" Stifflegs ranted across to him. "You know fully well that this is the real Hester and not some witch or goddess amongst,"

"Well then…how come these gods appeared in our kids' dreams claim she can stop it? When she doesn't even know her gifts?" his voice sounded cruel.  
"Watch your mouth Spitelout," Stoick ordered, pointing a sausage-sized finger at him.

"Hester! How do you think you can stop this creature? Do you know what the crystal did to you?" Astrid asked across.

Her question unintentionally started a riot of questions and mouthing again and the hall was once again echoing with endless speaking. Skullbones tired to roar again to silence them but their voices had raised their tones higher when combined together.

Hester was fuming to the core, growing impatient with everyone raffling at her like that, as if she was supposed to know everything.

"SHUT UP!" Her voice made everybody jump – even the boys stumbled back a bit from the force of that almighty eruption of a girl. "How can I think things straight if you all keep mollycoddling me like this with these questions and all these babbles?!"

Hester cooled down when she realised how petrified everybody (even the dragons) had become by her sudden outbursts. She felt quite embarrassed. She hadn't meant to lash out like that, in front of everyone with so much adrenaline. She needed a moment to cool down and control her temper. "I'm sorry everyone. I need to be alone,"

Instantly she walked calmly out the hall with Toothless, the boys and their dragons bounding behind her. No body made a move to stop her. They were all too fixed on their spots by her shouting to even move an inch.

Once she was out of the hall, Hester dashed through the streets until she reached the cliffs on the edge of the island. She stared out at the sea, taking a moment to cool down her fiery temper that she had fired upon everyone back in the hall. Toothless perched on all his feet beside her like a dog and looked at her intently. He was quite intrigued by her lash out back in the hall. It was if she was a dormant dragon, venting out its fire for the first time in many, many years. Now she was just trying to relax, requiring the time to neutralise her anger with all the pressure that every question had infected upon her.

Sigmund and Garsir sat near them and their dragons sat down behind them too. They didn't talk. Hester would recover with silence. For a long moment they just twiddled their fingers or played with some grass. Skullbones licked his bones to keep them shiny whilst Tifespike preened her scales. Toothless didn't do anything; he just observed the silent still face of his rider and sister-in-arms.

"I'm glad you guys came," Hester said at last breaking the silence. "This has turned out so much harder than I thought! Everyone is relying on me! It feels like diving down so deep that you lift off the pressure the ocean above you presses on you,"

She buried her face in her hands, hiding her emotions.

"**It'll be okay,"** Toothless promised, nuzzling her face a bit. **"You are not alone in this. You'll never be alone. We're here by your side always,"**

"You don't have to feel like you have to be everything for everyone," Garsir told her. "No matter how much you feel like you have to be what everyone expects – you have us to hold onto,"

Just as Hester had settled into a peaceful state, a yowling roar boomed in everybody's ear drums.

"What was that?" Garsir breathed out.

"**Danger,"** Skullbones growled, snarling out at the sea.

Tifespike growled too. So did Toothless, their protective instincts kicking in.

As Hester stared outwards, she suddenly felt her head spinning, a feeling of something squeezing her brain from the inside. Her head started fidgeting a bit.

"Hester? Hester?" Sigmund saw that her body was shuddering.

"What's wrong with you?" Garsir asked, terrified that she might be reacting to something. Toothless tried nuzzling his head into her hands to earn a stroke but she was losing focus too much that she fell back. Toothless used his body to catch and support her. He laid down on his stomach, taking Hester's body with him.

"What's happening to her?" Sigmund asked as he and Garsir helped her sit down.

"I think she's reacting to whoever's calling out that roar," Garsir estimated after a while.

The roar's volume was raised louder, following by a sudden series of booming and blasting.

The boys felt their hearts dropped. They looked forward, fishing out spyglasses to look through. Out a sea was a giant massive dragon (who resembled the Red Death) roaring as it was leading an army of those monstrous creatures, the crystal dragons that had attacked them back on the Tifespinner's island and on that mysterious crystal island.

"It's here," Sigmund struggled to breath.

Hester managed to shake out of her trembling state that her emotions had impaled on her. She didn't know what came over her. Was it a shock of fear? Was it her brain vibrating from inside her head? Or was it something herself? She twisted her head and saw the Red Death's heir approaching, barely more than a mile away.

"It's him," she muttered. "He's here,"

Everybody heard a stampede of footsteps approaching from behind. They turned and saw the Berkains and their dragons rushing down towards them.

"HE's here!" Sigmund shouted. "Rafashfear's here!"

The Berkians sprinted closer and stared out towards what the teens and their dragons had spotted.

"Oh – my – Thor," Stoick punctuated each word with a gasp of shock.

"Is that him?" Astrid gulped.

"Yes. That's him," Garsir answered.

"Everyone! Prepare to fire!" Stoick commanded. "And wait until I give the single! Half of you at catapults! Half of you on dragons!"

Everyone obliged.

Hester was about to try but was stopped by Stoick.

"No! Hester! You need to stay here! You don't what we're up against! It's too dangerous!"

"I'm not backing down Stoick!

"Really? You actually care?" Hester challenged.

"Of course I care. I always have,"

"Really? Because you gave me an awful impression all my life," Hester crossed her arms and tried to mount Toothless.

"Please Hester!" Stoick didn't grab her but his tone (pleading as a child desperate for love) was enough to make her stop. "Just for now stay out of trouble! You don't what you're up against and you may get yourself killed,"

Hester didn't turn to face.

Stoick attempted to step forward, but Toothless snarled at him, ordering him to stand back.

Reluctantly, Stoick waddled away to help prepare his people.

The boys and the dragons glanced at Hester, who didn't move an inch. Eventually, she let go of Toothless's saddle.

"Really? You're taking orders from him now?" Garsir was surprised. Hester was not really one to follow Stoick's orders.

"I have to guys. I don't know how I can stop this – Rafashfear. Until I do, I need to stay out of danger and not get killed,"

"Okay," Sigmund agreed. "We'll fly up and help whilst you stay here,"

"Promise me you guys will stay out trouble," Hester begged.

Garsir nodded. "We will,"

The boys mounted their dragons and flew up to join the others. Tifespike let out a mighty wailing call for help. In less than a second, the Tifespinner emerged from the grass plains up to the sky to join their member.

Not too far from his goal, the closer he came to the island, the hungrier Rafashfear grew for vengeance. He could feel his fire boiling in his stomach, ready to be shot at towards any dragon and human who flew or fired at him. **"At long last. Here it is,"** he cackled. **"Here it is. The home of those heartless Vikings and that girl who took my mother. I will destroy them and reclaim my dragons. If they refuse to oblige to me, they die too," **His moment of excitement was interrupted by the shuddering of his dragons. They looked like their heads were shaking. **"What is it? What is wrong with all of you?"**

"**Master?"** his second-in-command croaked out.

"**What?"**

"**We can feel our hearts thumping! We can feel – the girl Hester. And she can feel us. Our connection grows stronger the nearer we come to her. She is bound to her by our power. And the power inside of her that she doesn't realise she has,"**

"**It appears she is the host of the flower that once grew in that cave where you guys came from. Well no matter, she is weak, and you will all have what lies inside of her, once I kill her, eat her, and destroy everything and everyone she loves," **

The upcoming army was just a yard out now. All the dragons were prepared, the catapults loaded, the barriers put up, all the children and mothers evacuated to the caves on the far side of the island.

Toothless and Hester remained on the cliff, unsure what to do. Hester was scared – more scared than ever. Toothless wrapped his wings around her to provide protection.

Up above in the sky, the army of dragon riders along with Garsir and Sigmund and Skullbones and Tifespike and the Tifespinner hovered in the air, flapping their wings at an unrestingly pace. The dragon felt their fire boil inside them. They would wait till the chief signal…and fire!

The Red Death's Heir landed full feet into the ocean. It was so gigantic that its head could stretch over the cliffs. The crystal dragons stayed flapping above it.

On the ground between the catapults, Stoick stood firm and tall, ready to protect his island. He could feel the cold gaze of the Rafashfear firing across his line vision into his eyes. But he would not stand down, he would cower. That was just what he wanted him to. But he would not. He would rather be dying protecting his island, and Hester, then hide and cower with shame.

Rafashfear paced gently but threadedly through the ocean until his face was facing over a thousand fearless but fretted Viking faces. "You are all so much smaller than I thought," he screeched. "But no matter what…I will wipe you all out in one blow,"

On the far side of the cliffs, Toothless had Hester hiding under his wings. Rafashfear hadn't seen them – yet. But he dared to harm that monsters if he laid one claw on his Hester. He didn't care how hurt Rafashfear was. HIs mother deserved to die for creating war between dragons and humans by forcing dragons to steal food from them in order to save their young. That was not what a queen of a dragon nest had any right to do.

"And now it is time for you all to die," Rafashfear growled. He raised his head, preparing to fire.

"Now!" Stoick bellowed.

All at once, there was a mighty swarm of boulders and fireballs fired upon Rafashfear and his army. They stopped their attacks, giving the dragons a chance to try and skew them, along with the Boneknapper and Tifespinner packs. A mighty flying battle was brought above their heads.

Despite all their strength and all their skills, the Berkians were barely making a dent in their enemies. If anything, they were making them more determined to stop them. And by doing so, motivating them to gain the upper hand. Much to everyone's shock, a majority of Nadders, Nightmares, Gronkles, Zipplebacks, Boneknappers and Tifespinners were knocked out of the sky, injuries infected greatly on their wings or any other delicate parts of their bodies.

Stoick was growing shocked. As were the non-flyers. Hester and Toothless from their spot observed what was happening. Hester was growing more scared than ever. Though there were no deaths, there would be heart-breaking casualties sooner or later. She had to do something.

"**Nice try!"** Rafashfear cackled. **"But that doesn't work on me. None of your tactics work on me! Your gods can't save you! They are forbidden to harm me! Just as they have been to harm my mother!"**

Once there were no dragons firing on him or no boulders hurled at him, he raised his head reading to fire with a blast that would engulf the entire village.

"Stop! You witless worm!" a certain female voice screamed.

Rafashfear turned his face to see a Night Fury hovering mere metres away from with, a very angry girl riding him.

"**Well, well if it isn't the puny human…who killed my mother!"**

"Your mother was a monster! She deserved to die! For everything she had done! To both dragons and humans! And now you come here?!" Hester's voice was filled with rage.

The people and their dragons were now witnessing her courage, the same courage she had crafted to save them from Rafashfear's mother.

"To kill everyone and think they're the killers when it's actually your mother? If you want to kill them, you'll have to deal with us first!"

"**That's right!"** Toothless supported. **"We're going to tear you apart!" **

"**How dare you defy the will of a queen! What should a son do the ones who murdered his mother!" **He blasted a fume of fire at them but Toothless dodged it. He tried firing down upon it but the booms were not as effective against Rafashfear as they were to his mother.

Clearly, he was more immune to the attacks. He wouldn't open his mouth long enough for Toothless to blast into his mouth.

Once Toothless had run out of power, Rafashfear suddenly attempted to gain the upper hand. He tried to blast them. He tried to eat them. He tried to smack them with his tail. But Toothless was too agile. But not quite focused enough. Neither was Hester.

Just when the riding pair weren't looking, Rafashfear's second-in-command, his most powerful crystal creature, came out of nowhere and snatched Hester off the saddle. Without Hester, Toothless plummeted to the ground to the sea.

Before he could crash, Skullbones swooped down and snatched him in his claws, just in the nick of time. Skullbones tried to retreat to help Hester but the crystal dragons divided and conquered on him.

Hester was tossed into Rafashfear's right paw by her abductor. She was squeezed tightly between the humongous claws. She wheezed in pain as she couldn't breathe.

"**Time to end you now,"** Rafashfear cackled as he held her up to his face so she could see his burning eyes. **"Once and for all,"**

Everyone watched helplessly. They tried to get to her, but their enemies stopped them.

Suddenly Hester felt a fiery surge of power, boiling in chest, stretching through her arms and her veins. It flowed into Rafashfear's body. He felt it stinging, burning his insides, his head started erupting with pain. HE screamed in pain. He felt his scales falling apart, his wings flaring and forging holes. A mighty boom followed causing Hester to fly out of his grasp and for him to fall backwards.

"Hester!" Stoick screamed.

Quick as she could, Tifespike soared up and caught Hester in her claws, wrapping them around into a gentle protective cage. She fluttered back down the ground, placing Hester's body on the ground.

"**I'll be back!"** Rafashfear's voice boomed and brought fear into the hearts of everyone who could hear. **"Once I am healed, this time – you will all die and be nothing but brought to ash!" **

He unravelled his damaged wings and with a single swoop, _Vamoose!_ He disappeared with his army out of sight.

Everyone looked at Hester. She was turning red, burning from the touch of that fiery dragon, but what really shocked everyone were the etches of golden dragons growing on her skin. Not only that, but her hair was glowing gold too. That had never happened before. It was incredible.

"What the Thor?" Gobber breathed out.

"What is happening to her skin?" Astrid questioned.

"She looks so spooky," Tuffnut uttered out in a dreamy tone.

Astrid elbowed him.

"Ow!"

"How can you say that?!" she hissed. "Don't you care about Hester?"

"Did the crystals on that island you told us about do that to her?" Fishlegs asked.

Garsir and Sigmund looked up at the number of questioned looks. They couldn't answer. Sigmund cast another sceptical look at Stoick when he noticed he was too petrified by what he was saying. What he saw was a different kind of fear.

Garsir noticed the look too. But they had not time to dwell on that now.

"Quick! We must get her to Gothi's now!" Garsir urged. Sigmund hoisted her into his arms and they immediately brought up her up to Gothi's house to recover. The teens followed after them. They made no act to stop them. Getting Hester's recovered was more important.

* * *

**Wow! What did we witness on this battle scene with Hester? Well, the answer to her gifts will finally be discovered in the next chapter. Does Stoick now about it? We'll have to wait till the next chapter to find out. **


	19. The Truth

**The Truth: **

All the injured were brought in the hall. Dragons had their wings bandaged up, healing broths were given to the injured riders, wet napkins were pressed against some burn scars.

Sigmund had suffered a burn to his arm and was applied powerful healing cream that made him wince in pain as it stung. Garsir had his arm bandaged. Their families stayed by them as they recovered. Hester, meanwhile, was taken to Gothi's hut. Toothless sat down by her side, watching over her protectively.

For about a few hours, Hester was just sleeping on her bed, with wet cloths pressed along her arms, along her legs and on her forehead. Her skin was returning back to its normal colour, but the golden dragon etches were still spread out on her skin.

Toothless's ears flapped up when he heard a door opening. He growled, looking towards it. Instead of Garsir or Sigmund, it was still Stoick.

"Easy boy," he soothed. "Please?" he begged. "Let me see my…Hester,"

Unwillingly, Toothless let him come closer, but he was still not on his good side. He wouldn't stop eying him for one second.

Stoick watched over Hester. "Please don't die," he begged. "I can't lose you too. Not like your mother. If you can hear me, I want you to know that I'm sorry. For everything. I wish I could take back everything I ever said, everything I ever did to you. All I wanted to do was protect you, but now I know that I was drifting us apart. Please wake up Hester. I wish I could tell you without you glaring at me that I take back everything I said that day, that I'm proud to call you my daughter, that…" he croaked. He felt a tear falling down his cheek. "That I love you,"

Right after he said that, Toothless stopped snarling. He was now seeing a completely different side of Stoick. It turned out he was not as cold or unfuzzy as he once was. Stoick noticed the new look in Toothless's eyes but didn't say a thing. He just turned and left.

What he didn't realise was that Hester had actually turned her head in his direction behind his back, her eyes opened slightly. Toothless stared at the departing chief as well. He turned his focus at Hester's line of vision. Was there really a chance for things to be fixed between the estranged father and daughter?

Stoick walked out the healer's hut. When he closed the door, and turned around, he was met with the faces of a cynical cold-glaring Sigmund and Garsir.

"Oh Thor! You two scared the light out of me!" he berated.

"Stoick! You are hiding something!" Sigmund accused, threatening the chief with a bony finger. "You know perfectly what happened back there and why! In fact, I bet you know the reason that Hester can understand dragons!"

Stoick tried to interject.

"Don't try to deny it!" Garsir interrupted. "We saw the way you looked at Hester as she told you that story about the crystal dragons back in the hall. You were looking at her in a way that meant you knew something,"

Stoick didn't know what to say. He struggled to say something. "I..I..."

"You what?!" Sigmund snapped.

Stoick stumbled back from the force of that outburst.

"You are not going anywhere until you tell us everything she needs to know," Garsir demanded.

"No boys! This is something that only Hester can know!" Stoick retorted. "Once she is healed and she has woken up, I will tell her. I promise,"

"How do you we know that you're going to keep your promise?" Sigmund challenged.

Stoick was pale. All he simply said was: "You don't,"

Hester finally woke up the next morning. She no longer felt hot and she didn't feel the etching of gold dragons on her skin. They had disappeared like before. She greeted Sigmund and Garsir who immediately embraced her before she earned a light nuzzling hug from their dragons. She was then greeted by everyone who was elated to see her alright. Hester had no time to dwell on the past at that moment. She was more worried about how wounded and injured a huge number of dragons and Vikings were. Even the Alpha of Tifespike's pack was too injured that he was more likely to pass away from his injuries. Tifespike was heartbroken. As was Sigmund. The whole pack was.

The Alpha weakly told Tifespike that if he would die, she would be the new leader of their pack. Above all the other members, he admired her the most. Tifespike felt like she couldn't accept it; with Sigmund's confidence in her and the Alpha's deep regard for her, she willingly agreed if it were to occur.

In the afternoon, Hester was called to the Haddock household by Stoick. She was to come alone and only with Toothless.

She went inside the house that she never thought she would have to come into again. It looked so much like what it once was the day, she left Berk behind. Inside, near the fire on his chair, Stoick was seated, waiting patiently for her. There was no conversation between them until Hester closed the door behind her.

"It's time you knew Hester," Stoick told her. "It's time you know about your gift,"

"You mean you know the reason I can understand dragons?" Hester questioned out, more shocked than riled to lash out at him for keeping whatever secrets he had from her. "Why all this is happening to me?!"

Stoick couldn't say anything. Instead he nodded. "I will tell you everything. Everything I should have told you a long time ago. Will you sit down and listen?"

Willingly for the first time in her life towards her father, Hester sat down on a seat. Toothless settled down wrapping his body protectively around her seat.

"Thousands of years ago, when it was the dawn of the Viking age, there were spirits that roamed this very earth. Dragon Spirits. When our gods came into this world, and humans came along with it, the Dragon Spirits wanted to grant humans a gift to establish how humans could live in harmony with these creatures. The Dragon Spirits combined their tears into one multi-coloured drop. This drop fell to the heavens onto a sacred island, very far from here. Once the drop fell to the earth of that island, it grew into this,"

Stoick unrolled the scroll.

What a beautiful breath-taking picture it was. Hester saw in in front of her eyes: a ravishing red flowering with fiery strikes running down the five petals whilst the anthers in the middle glowed as hot as fire.

"The Dragofleur. A flower believed to hold the magic of the Dragon Gods – or what we most commonly known as Dragon Spirits, according to our gods,"

"What has this got to do with me?" Hester asked curiously, raising her gaze up from the picture to the face of her father. Stoick looked pale. It seemed as if the answer was a memory that he had tried to forget for many years, but could not seem too as this memory was one, he had needed to tell his daughter for when the time was right.

He began with a stroke of hesitation. "You see - the night you were born – your mother was very, very sick. Somebody had poisoned her when she was pregnant with you,"

It was Hester's turn to turn pale.

"Months before you were born your mother turned sick and was taken into Gothi's care. For many months she tried to cure her to save her and you, but none of her remedies work. Even the most powerful herbs known to our kind couldn't save her. In the month that you were born, you mother had reached her limit. I was so desperate that I would have done anything to save her – and you. I wasn't ready to lose her. Or you,"

Hester seemed to be touched by her father's love for her and her mother. For years all she saw in Stoick was a bad-tempered chief – but now, at this very moment, she was looking into the eyes of a devoted father and husband who was determined to save his family, more than anything.

"I prayed many, many times to Odin, begging him to save you. It seemed as though he, nor his sons nor his subjects heard any of my desperate prayers. Until, one night, a few days before you were born, I was taken into the Void between worlds in my dreams. There he greeted me, and told me about the Dragofleur, which had magical healing powers. Immediately, I journeyed far and wide, searching for it, using a magical map that he had poured into my mind. But he warned me not to take it from its resting place. If I were to, a terrible curse would befall upon this world,"

He pulled out another scroll from the box and unravelled it again. Hester took another look. She was shocked. This was the island they had been too, the island where she had touched that crystal and where she and her boys were chased and nearly devoured by crystal creatures.

"I led a party and came to this island. And I found it, growing at the very end of the crystal cave,"

Hester felt her heart slowing its pace with every bit of information that he was giving to her. That spot, where she had touched that giant crystal, must have been exactly where Stoick had found this mystical flower of dragons, if it was at the end of the cave where she had walked to, following that mysterious voice.

"I intended to just take one petal to save you and your mother. But I wasn't the only one looking for it. A cloaked man, slender and who had grey hair, had followed me, along with a group of ugly-looking dragons with tusks sprouted out of their mouths and who could spray acid that lid on fire. I was attacked but I fought against this man for the flower Despite what Odin had warned me, I had to take to the flower so that the cloaked man couldn't get it for whatever evil reason he wanted it before. I managed to escape the island and my entire party gave their life's fighting this man and the dragons he could control in order to bring it back to save my family. Once I was back, Gothi used the flower to make a remedy and Valka was healed, and then you were born. But then – "

"Then what?"

Stoick didn't speak. He had revealed too much already.

"**Answer her!"** Toothless ordered. He didn't care who he was talking to. Stoick had every right to tell his daughter the truth.

"A day after you were born and your birth was celebrated, I decided to return the flower to its proper burial ground, hoping that it was not too late to stop this curse and to prevent the man from finding us so we would all be safe. But when I had reached the island, I heard a mysterious voice in my head,"

Hester wondered if that voice, he heard was the very same one that

"I followed it into the cave. A dragon spirit appeared in front of my eyes. He told me that because of my actions of taking the flower from its resting place and using it, whilst in doing so, transferring its powers – to you, I had unintentionally unleashed a darkness,"

"You mean those dragon daemons?" Hester gasped out. "The same ones that attacked our island?"

"Yes," Stoick nodded. "They are connected to you. As you are to them. The power of the Dragofleur has flowed in your veins, ever since the night you were born. When it was taken from its place, those crystals sprouted out of the ground, hording the magic that it once had. And any crystal creature created by that creature can only be killed the Dragofleur's fire power that runs in your veins, the very same power that you unleashed into the Red Death's Heir,"

Hester was petrified.

"Those creatures who were formed on that island where that flame came from and where you went to, they are connected to you because those crystals you discovered, the one you touched that somewhat boosted your power, are connected to the Dragofleur. You can feel them when they are nearby, and they can feel you. All of this, everything I've revealed to you, why I was so hard on you. I wanted to keep you safe. I feared of what would happen if any human or any dragon got a hand of you. I feared they would use you to harness the power of that dragon flower. I couldn't risk losing you. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you. I couldn't take it losing another woman I lost, like your mother,"

His daughter was spilling out tears from her eyes. She was angered, she was saddened. "Why didn't you tell me?" Hester demanded, standing up stiff on her feet again. "How could you keep this from me when I had a right to know?!"

"Hester I only wanted to protect you!" Stoick tried to explain that his motives were out of love, and not as a chief, but as a father.

"I don't care whether you wanted to protect me or not! I had a right to know! How could you keep this from me?! Why couldn't you have been honest with me?! Instead of keeping secrets from me and instead acting like I had be shut inside my home all the time just because I wasn't born like you or anyone!"

Before Stoick could answer, Hester fled the house, fleeing off into the forest. Everyone including Garsir and Sigmund watched her intently. They trailed after her with their dragons. Nobody else went after them. Whatever it was that had made Hester so shocked was something she needed to recover from by herself with only those closest to her. If they tried to work things out with her, she would lash out at them and order them to leave her alone.

Hester sprinted further into the forest. She dashed past trees, jumped over logs, ducked under branches. She wouldn't stop until she had reached the centre of the island where the cove was. The very cove where she had first met Toothless and trained him.

She lumped down on a rock, bending her neck over the face of the lake. She saw her reflecting showing itself back at her. She stared closer, becoming disillusioned by image. She swiped at him with a hand. She started sobbing. She didn't know what to do anymore.

"**Hester?"** Toothless nuzzled her hand. **"Please tell me what's wrong,"**

Hester couldn't speak.

"All this time I thought I was special for a reason. But now it's all because of some magical flower that my mother consumed when she was sick the night I was born," Hester felt that the flower was the source of her confidence and courage; everything she thought was unique about herself. "Everything which I thought I had for a reason is all because of that flower. I'm nothing,"

"**Hester…"** Toothless consoled. **"Even before we found out about this ability, I saw something special in you – that day when you spared my life. On that day you freed me instead of killing me, I had the chance to kill you. But I didn't. Instead I spared your life because I saw something special in you. Something that makes you different from any other person I met. Even when you trained me you didn't need the power of the Dragofleur to do that. You did that because you were special,"**

"I don't even who I am anymore" she screamed, her tone diversified of dander and dejection.

"I'm sorry bud," she apologised, not intending to take her furious confusion on him. She held his face's sides in her hands. She hugged it, letting out her fragile emotions. "I don't know who I am anymore. I don't know what to do,"

"Let me tell you who you are," a certain voice started.

Hester looked at saw Sigmund across from her along with his dragon, Garsir and Skullbones. Sigmund came closer to her, speaking every sentence he said with every step he took and every inch he came closer to her. "You are Hester Haddock. You are brave. You are smart. You are funny. You are the girl who trained the dragons, the first girl to rise above humanity's views of them. You've done many things nobody thought was possible. It is because of you that we've found new friends, that everyone on Berk has new friends, that our tribe is at peace with dragons,"

"No matter where you got that gift from…" Garsir started as well. "That doesn't make you who you are. Everything that defines who you are – is what choices you make, who you chose to be, how you choose to use these gifts,"

Hester couldn't hold back. She opened her arms and the boys embraced her into a tight warm hug of friendship. Then Toothless joined in wrapping his arms around them. Then Skullbones and Tifespike, who wrapped their bigger wings around all four of them.

They had come all this way together. And now they were here together forever. A family of three humans and three dragons who would fight together. Together they were going to stop Rafashfear and save their island. Hester no longer cared about how she got this gift. The only thing she cared about was that she would use it to stop Rafashfear and use for good, to help dragons, to support peace between two worlds.

* * *

**Wow. What an answer to Hester's gifts. Please send ideas of what other gifts this Dragofleur could give her aside from understanding dragons as well as what she unintentionally did to ****Rafashfear. **


	20. A Plan

**Learning to control the Power and planning to the stop the Threat: **

Far out at sea, on an island, not too far from Berk, Rafashfear laid on his side, recovering from the pain that the young girl had inflicted upon with what the fiery power that brewed inside her.

"**Master…are you well?"** his second asked.

Instead of answering, Rafashfear roared in a terrible tantrum. **"I am not!" **He bellowed.

The second bowed down.

"**The power of the Dragofleur from our legends flows inside her. She can use it to kill me. If I had held onto her for longer, I might have perished. I would have shamed my mother! I would have failed her! I would have died failing to take back what was truly ours!"**

"**Don't think so sure master,"** his second unexpectant said.

Rafashfear looked at him carefully.

"**If she had concentrated harder, not only would you have died from all that power, she would have too. She cannot concentrate too much power without killing her. The power of my kind's counterpart has flowed inside her since she was born, and in doing so, has grown stronger, making it impossible for her to use its highest protentional without killing herself,"**

Rafashfear grinned. **"Then we shall use that to our advantage,"**

* * *

For the next hour, the group of six sat in the cove planning on what to do. They had to plan another tactic soon. Rafashfear would be back very soon. They could not fight him and his army with the same tactics. They had to plan something else. Hester had considered try what she had unintentionally done back there, but they immediately refused.

"Absolutely not Hester," Sigmund retorted. "You nearly died out there. Do that again you'll definitely die this time,"

"I may not have a choice Sigmund," Hester said.

"**Please don't," **Toothless begged, nuzzling her hand.** "I don't want to lose you,"**

"There may not be another way," Hester continued.

"There is always another way," Garsir assured.

"But what?"

There was silence for a long moment. The sky began to turn dark so Skullbones made a fire.

They sat around it together watching the flames crackle whilst roasting some fish.

As he took a bite out of his cooked fish and offered another one to his dragon, Garsir noticed that as Hester was twiddling with her fingers to keep warm, the flames were slowly moving as if reacting to her movements.

"Try that again Hester," Garsir encouraged.

Hester looked to him. "Try what?"

"That thing that you're doing with your hands. That – moving and twirling with your fingers,"

Hester looked at her fingers. What did she do? She focused back on the fire with her fingers and twiddled them around like Garsir requested. As she did, the flames of the fire started dancing around, sparks started flying about in the air. It was as if she was controlling it.

The boys' mouths widened with wonder; it was incredible but impossible!

"What – the – Thor?" Sigmund punctuated each space with a pause.

"How is this possible?" Garsir wondered.

"I have never seen anything like this," Skullbones wondered.

"My kind once heard the legend of the Dragofleur," Tifespike spoke. **"We once heard that any who consume its power can control any fire type of a dragon,"**

Toothless turned to her, flabbergasted. **"Really?"**

Tifespike nodded.

Overhearing their conversation, Hester asked: "Tifespike, do you think you could open your mouth and prepare a flame?"

Tifespike blinked. **"You're sure? Cause my firepower is quite dangerous,"**

"Trust me,'

"**Okay,"** Tifespike opened her mouth and Hester saw a acid-green and golden-yellow flame sparking up at the back of it. She held out her right hand. A ball of Tifespike's flame came out of her mouth, hovering in the air above Hester's hand.

Everyone opened their mouths. Their lips were parted wider when they saw that red energy spew from Hester's veins in her arm into the flame and made a red outline. Hester spotted a rock and got an idea. She tossed it.

_Boom_

The flame amplified by that red fiery magic caused it to explode into nothing but dust. It was so much effective than Tifespike's power alone.

"That was – incredible!" Sigmund squealed out. "Did you see what you just did?! You controlled the fire and amplified it with that red magic!"

"Do you feel weak?" Garsir asked cautiously.

"No I don't," Hester confessed. "I can if I only concentrate a little bit only a bit red energy will be given off. If I focused too much…" she didn't to finish. They already knew the answer.

"You knew guys? One day I'd like to share this gift with all of you. I believe everyone deserves it," Hester said.

"I don't know Hester," Garsir scratched the back of his head.

"Why do you say that?"

"This power inside you – it could corrupt people. Make them feel too powerful and use it for good,"

"But you guys are good and pure. I know you both too much,"

"Doesn't mean we can't be so easily swayed by it," Sigmund said anxiously. "I think it would be best if you just kept it. At least until this threat is neutralised,"

"**They're right Hester," **Toothless said.** "When I was hatchling, I once heard stories of this flower, how it corrupted countless dragons who believed that they could use it to become the Alpha over other species. Even humans dared to look for. I'm glad it remained hidden until that day it was used to save you," **

Hester seemed to consider everything they had just said. She swore to herself that she would be corrupted by the power inside her. She vowed that she would use this power for good and not for evil. Let's head back to the village. I've got a plan,"

* * *

Back at the village, almost every Viking had recovered as well as every dragon. Astrid and Fishlegs helped out with the food whilst Snotlout and the twins were busy readying some more shelters, whilst quarrelling at the same time. Inside his hut, Gobber was comforting Stoick over his guilty.

"You did what you thought was right," Gobber comforted. "You did it out of love,"

"That's not how she feels," Stoick said. "I should have told her. I should have been a better father by telling her. We never would have drifted so far apart if I had been more honest,"

Astrid had just given out the final box of fruit to the villagers to store inside for an emergency. Stormfly standing near her noticed how scared she was. Astrid was frightened of losing her family and her home.

"**It'll be okay,"** she nuzzled her rider comfortably.

Astrid hugged her dragon. "Thank you Stormfly,"

They heard ear-piercing flapping coming from the forest just up the hill. They saw the Trio and their dragons emerging from the forest.

"Guys?"

They landed down.

"Is everything alright?" Astrid asked, noticing the unusual looks on their face.

"I've just thought of a plan that'll help us stop Rafashfear,"

"You're certain you can use your powers to stop him without dying?" Astrid closed her mouth, but it was too late.

"How did you know at the Dragofleur?" Hester demanded.

Astrid didn't answer.

"You eavesdropped on our conversation?" Hester was angered.

"Hey! It wasn't just me! The others did too!" Astrid jibbed them in.

The teens nearby however refused her claim.

"We just heard everything from outside your hut,"

Hester frowned at her.

"We were curious to find out what it was that your father was hiding from you,"

"Let's just focus on with your plan," Sigmund advised Hester.

"Everyone to the hall!" Hester called out to the village. "I have a plan!"

Stoick came out of his hut and saw from the determined look on Hester's face that she had a plan.

"You heard her everyone! To the Hall," Stoick ordered.

Everyone obeyed the chief's orders. When Stoick looked up to Hester, she just gave him the cold shoulder. She still hadn't quite forgiven him for keep this secret.

* * *

Everyone gathered in the hall. Hester stood at the table with her dragon and her boys next to her.

As everyone prepared to listen, Sigmund gently gripped her arm and whispered in her ear: "Are you sure you should tell them? I don't really trust everyone,"

"Sig…I have to," Hester implored. "I know you're worried about me, but in order for to work, everybody has to know,"

"It'll be fine buddy," Garsir promised. "She knows what she's doing,"

Hester addressed the crowd. "Everyone! I have a plan to stop Rafashfear once a for all! Our firepower won't effectively against him or his army. Not unless it is made stronger!"

Spitelout groaned. "And how are we supposed to make our firepower stronger?"

Everyone looked at Hester with questioned looks. Stoick however was more worried. He wished that his wife was not sick that night and he didn't have to find that flower and unintentionally cause Hester to have these powers. Powers which would make her a target for enemies and other tribes (who although allies) would want to use her a weapon. He could not bear to see her treated like a tool for kill.

Hester looked at her dragon, a request surfaced on her eyes. "Toothless…"

Toothless opened his mouth, a purple plasma blast boiling in his mouth. Everybody flinched thinning he was going to fire. But Hester stretched out her left hand and as she turned it a bit, she felt a ball of her dragon's fire hovering above her hand.

Everybody gasped in wonder. They gasped higher with wonder when they saw red energy evaporate out of Hester's hand and into the ball. Hester tossed the ball into the giant fire in the centre and it suddenly erupted into a large flame with purple sparks.

"Woah," everyone gasped silently. They had never seen anything like it.

"This magic inside me, strengthens dragon's fire. I believe that we can use this to destroy Rafashfear's army and him. It's goanna take all of us to stop him. Not just me. Not just Toothless. But all of us. We have to work together. We have to protect our people, our dragons, our home. We will not hide like cowards. Instead we will fight and end this plight. Once and for all!"

The crowd were cheering, looking up to Hester not as a screwup but as a perfect future leader. Garsir, Sigmund and their dragons smiled at Hester proudly. She had come so far, and they were going to be right by her side forever, always read to help her whenever she needs it.

"But Hester!" Gobber's voice rose above the cheering. "What it uses too much of your energy? What if you work yourself too much that you become so weak like earlier?" Gobber asked.

Everyone turned worried at that question. They looked back at Hester and could see the fear in her eyes. She had survived one dragon fight once, thanks to Toothless. Could she survive this fight?

Hester however would not let fear hold her back; she had to be strong. This was who she was meant to be. She was going to use this power to save lives, not abandon them.

"Everyone. No matter what comes along in what's to come, I must do it. I have to do it. To save you all. To save Berk. If I can survive the Red Death, I can survive this. I have Toothless to protect me,"

She gestured to her brave dragon standing next to her.

"**You can always count on me. I will always protect you," **he promised.

Everyone gazed at the pair with admiration, of all the bonds between Viking and dragon on this island, Hester and Toothless's was by far the strongest and most trustworthy of all.

"Now!" Hester addressed everyone again. "Let's get prepared. It's time to fight. For Berk!" she punched the air with her fist.

"For Berk!" everyone mimicked her action.

"FOR BERK!" Hester repeated again.

"FOR BERK!" everyone repeated back, louder again.

And there it was. The plan was set. Hester was just relieved to find out it was so easy to throw and manipulate fire. She wondered what other things she could do with the Dragofleur's power aside from understand dragons and control fire. She wondered more how she could not manipulate fire earlier and why it had only just come now. How come it was so easy to lift it from a dragon's mouth and throw it? She did not have time to dwell on those question. She was more concerned about how much energy she would need to stop their enemies.

But one question remained.

Would everything be enough?


	21. Planning A Chance for Reconciliation

**Preparing / a last chance for Reconciliation: **

The Vikings put on some pieces of armour and armed themselves. They tightened the straps on the saddles, they put the catapults in more hidden positions and put up metal shields around them. Once again, the women and kids and all the dragons who still couldn't fight because of severe injury. It had been nearly a whole day since Rafashfear was forced to retreat; he would appear any moment now.

The Viking teens were on lookout for trouble on their dragons, Astrid leading them on Stormfly.

Near the Haddock house, Hester was giving instructions to a number of people. They followed the orders immediately and went off to prepare. Once they went off Hester gave her best human friends some requests, "Sigmund, can you check to make sure all the kids and the mothers are safe and that there's plentily of supplies for them?"

"Of course, Hester," Sigmund answered. "I'll make sure that the Tifespinner pack are ready too. Tifespike is ready to fight. Right girl?"

"**Right?"** Tifespike obliged. She lowered her head to his level, and he hugged her neck.

"I'm glad you're here with me girl. I'm glad we're facing this together, along with everyone else,"

"**Me too. I'm glad we found each other,"** Tifespike crooned affectionately.

"Garsir…" Hester requested next. "Make sure that the dragons are ready in their positions? Everything must be perfect,"

"You got it Hester," Garsir promised.

"**Let's get going,"** Skullbones knelt down to let his rider mount up. Garsir mounted him and flew off to check the plan was in motion.

Sigmund mounted Tifespike and she flew off west whilst the other pair stirred right.

As they watched their close friends fly away, Toothless saw that the moment they were away, Hester turned as colourless as a ghost. **"Hester…" **

"Toothless, I really hope that this plan works bud," Hester lamented. "Because if this fails…"

"**It won't fail,"** Toothless interrupted her negativity. **"We are going to win this. I promise. I know that we can do it. If we do together, we can stop Rafashfear. We can ensure that peace between Vikings and Dragons which we brought together will last together,"**

"I'm glad I have you bud. I'm glad I have Sigmund and Garsir and Skullbones and Tifespike. I'm even glad that we have Berk fighting alongside us," Hester cupped his face. "I told know what I would without you Toothless," she kissed his snout and hugged him.

"Hester?" a voice approached.

Hester didn't turn. Nor did she yell out a rant to tell the upcoming Stoick to leave her alone. Toothless growled again but she stroked him to calm him down. He kept glaring at the chief still.

Stoick was only a metre behind Hester. He wouldn't move. "Will you let me talk to you?" Stoick inquired softly.

Hester twisted her head slowly to face him. Inside his watery eyes, he saw regret in them. A regret that seemed reflect back into her own. A part of her felt guilty feeling as though she played a major part in their strained relationship because of endless desire to prove herself. She couldn't turn away from him, not again. If this was their last chance, she had to take it. She couldn't spend the rest of her life holding a grudge against him; not after everything she had learnt of what reasons he had for being so tense. She nodded.

Toothless didn't growl at Stoick. If Hester wanted to talk to him, then Stoick would be in his good graces, for now. If he did anything he didn't like, he might roast him.

"I just wanted to talk to you. I know what you're goanna say Hester. But I'm not walking away. I don't care what you say to me. I don't care how angry you at me. I need to you to hear this,"

"Why now?"

"I may never get this chance again," the solemn father replied back. "I need to take that chance,"

Hester made no rant. What could would it do anywhere? He said it himself that he would not walk away no matter what she would say.

"I'm truly sorry. For everything. I'm sorry that I am not the father you've always wanted, the father I should have been to you. I'm sorry that I put you down all the time as if you weren't my daughter. I'm sorry that I hit you and acted like you had betrayed Berk when all you were doing was trying to make a difference to our way of life and make it better. I'm sorry I locked you and your friends up like animals. You lost your leg because of me and my selfishness. You nearly died because of my arrogance,"

For the first time in her life, Hester felt her father's words were true to the heart. Behind that heart that was as cold as stone for many years, Hester finally saw warmth in the core of it.

"Me too," Hester confessed. Stoick seemed surprised by her words. "I'm sorry that I was overzealous. I just wanted to prove myself to everyone. That I could be so much more than how I appeared. I guess I just wanted to be seen in a different light. But I let that obsession drive me too far. If I had only listened to you, maybe things would have been so much different.

"No. I was holding you back too much. I should have told you the truth," Stoick admitted. "We're both to blame for all of this,"

Stoick raised up his hand.

Hester allowed her father to cup her cheek with his hand. She held it tight against it with her own.

"Hester…if we make it through all this, can…" Stoick's request was interrupted by a sudden call.

"Hester!" Sigmund called from down the hill, not realising he was interrupting something. Once he dashed up the hill and saw Stoick cupping Hester's left cheek, he seemed to stiffen a bit. He had never seen such love between one of his best human friends and her father before.

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked. "I can always come back a bit later if you want,"

"No," Stoick responded. "No. Nothing at all,"

Hester looked at him surprised. Why would he refuse to finish what he was about to beg her for? Did he feel unworthy of it? He lifted his hand away from Hester and gave her a solemn look filled with a plead for forgiveness. He walked away to prepare.

Hester would have called for him but there was no time. She looked at Sigmund. "News Sigmund?"

"Yep. All the children and mothers and unfightable dragons are safe and they have all the food and water supplies down with them,"

"Good," Hester approved. She and Toothless started stalking down the hill as they accompanied Sigmund and his dragon down to the village.

The Ingerman boy noticed a change in Hester's mood.

Even Toothless could see it.

"Hester, what is wrong? What was happening up there between you and your father? Was he actually touching your face and Toothless wasn't growling at him?"

Hester bobbed her head up and down, not looking at him but concentrating her sight on the village.

"Please tell me how you're feeling? How can I help you if I can't?" Sigmund begged. "As one of your best friends, it's my job as well as Toothless's, Garsir and also our dragons to help you whenever you need it,"

Hester stopped walking, so did the other three. "Sigmund …for the first time in my life, I feel…" She couldn't finish it.

Sigmund figured it out for her. "You feel like you love him,"

Hester could look up at him. Nor did she answer something different. The answer was plastered clear on her face. A few tears twinkled in her eyes, and a few rained down her cheeks.

"Hey Hes. It's okay," Sigmund pulled her into a hug. "I know how you feel. You feel like things are finally patching up between you two for the first time in years,"

"Yes," Hester croaked out. "I never thought in my life that I would have a good relationship with my father. Not ever since my mother died. And I feel like all those months away I feel like I've broken his heart. I feel like I made everything worse by not forgiving him and thinking too darkly of him. I know that he hit me, that he put me down, he didn't listen to me, but I feel like want to fix things between us. I feel like since I left, I've been no different than him. In fact, maybe he's sick or something. Now…I feel that I may not get the chance. If this plan disrupts, if I have to..."

"Hester…" Sigmund interrupted grabbing her shoulders gently. "You are not going to die. Not on my watch. Not on Garsir's. Not on Toothless. Not on your father's. Not on anyone's. We will stop Rafashfear. Together,"

"Together," Hester repeated.

"**Together,"** Toothless nuzzled them both.

"**Together," **Tifespike joined in the nuzzling.

The four walked down to the plaza where Garsir waited with his dragon.

"Is everyone prepared?" Hester asked as they approached them.

"Yes," Garsir nodded. He frowned his eyes when he noticed Hester had wept a little. "Are you okay?" The tear-trails were still stained on Hester's cheeks. "Has something happened?"

"Everything's okay," Hester wiped them away. "I just feel for the first time in my life, my father and I…we're finally making amends,"

Garsir's lips parted a bit. He had never thought that the day would come when for the first time in forever, something loving would be felt between Hester and her father.

"I know that he hit me, he disowned me, he locked us all up, but…"

"It's okay Hester," Garsir considered. "We've always wanted this for you and Stoick. We gave up on him a long time ago. For years we believed that he was unworthy of your love, but now…this is your chance for things to be right between you two for once,"

"I'm not really sure if that may come to pass,"

"Nonsense Hester!" Gobber approached them with an axe in his hook's stump. When this is over Hester, you can finally be happy with your father and be a family at last," Gobber smiled.

Hester smiled back. "All of us are a family. And we will all stick together, till the end,"

Their moment of calmness was interrupted by a wailing roar across the distance. Their hearts felt like they had stopped. They looked across the sea. There was nothing; that didn't mean that Rafashfear was near. They would not become scarred though. The roar seemed to make them determined.

On the sea stacks, the teens heard the roar and felt scarred. Fishlegs shuddered on Meatlug, Snotlout gulped, Tuffnut and Ruffnut hugged each other. Astrid didn't stir but she felt a tang of tense tightening her throat and her chest making it difficult to breathe. The dragons remained on their spots snarling outwards at sea.

It was time. They would end it. Once and for all. The peace between Vikings and dragons would not be broken. It would last forever, for as long as there was no threat to disrupt it.


	22. A Fight to the Death

**A Fight to the Death: **

Rafashfear, his body burnt and singed a little, could see Berk enlarging yard by yard as he flew forwards at a faster pace than previously. His motivation to devour Hester and her home made him hungry. "**This time – they fall – and we win!" **he snarled.

Just as he was only five yards away from the two Viking statues that guarded Berk's docks, his hazy sight caught the glimpse of a black blurr approaching. Sitting on the black blur was a figure.

He stopped flying. This could be his chance to gobble them up if he was patient. **"Hold your flying!"** he commanded his army. The army and his second stop and hovered behind them.

The black blur, revealed to be Toothless with Hester riding upon him, stop flying and hovered in front of him.

"You will not win!" Hester shouted. "Not this time! Not ever!"

"**You really think you can use the Dragofleur to stop me! You know you can't overuse it without killing yourself like you almost did,"**

"Doesn't mean I doesn't know how to stop you," Hester retorted back bravely.

"**What kind of runt like you knows how to stop a supreme species like me?"** Rafashfear challenged.

"What kind of monster like you thinks he can enslave dragons to do his bidding and harm innocent people?"

"**Why can't you just accept that what your mother did was wrong?" **Toothless demanded.** "Why can't you see that everything she did to not just dragons, but Vikings as well was cold and cruel?"**

"**You think you're the ones who are innocent? What about me and my mother?!"** Rafashfear whined.

Hester and Toothless concurrently furrowed their eyebrows. What was their foe talking about?

"**All our lives my mother and I were hated by other dragons. They called us monsters just for being big and for our 'hideous' looks. No matter how many times we tried to show that we were so much more, they never changed their opinions of us,"**

Hester suddenly felt sympathy for the dragon. Just like her, he and his mother were always mistreated just for their looks and for being born different. "And so you felt like if the world is only goanna see you as monsters, you'd had to be like that so you'd never feel the same again,"

"**How could you understand how I feel?!"** Rafashfear bellowed, raising his roar.

"I know how you feel Rafashfear, how your mother felt. All my life I was mistreated for being weak and for some sort of screw-up. All my life I wanted to rip Berk apart for their selfishness towards me,"

Hester's words seemed to make Rafashfear cool his temper a bit. He had never encountered another creature, let alone a human, who shared his feelings.

"When my island set out for Berk not knowing that they would encounter your mother, I wanted to let them die as payback for their neglect towards me. But then I realised if I did that I would have been just as worse as them. And even if they hated me, I had people who loved me for who I was," she stroked her dragon's head who looked at her with love. "Rafashfear, you don't have to be the monster that they view you as. What you're doing makes no different than them,"

Her sympathetic words had begun to sway Rafashfear from his dark course, but it would not warm his heart.

"Don't let your heart be consumed by anger and hate the same way I almost allowed mine to. Is this really what you want?"

"**You dare to question me on what I want?!" **Rafashfear bellowed. **"Well here is my answer! I want the world to know that if all they're do is see me as is nothing but a monster than that is what they're going to get! I want every weak useless soul like you and your friends on this earth that I come second to no one!" **the Red Death's Heir snapped and tried to eat them.

Toothless dodged the bite and flew away.

"**After them!"** Rafashfear ordered a large number of his army.

His second and thirty others pursued Toothless and Hester. The second led closing himself on Hester, readying his jaws.

Hester smirked when she heard flapping behind her. She leaned her head close to her dragon's earflaps. "It's working bud," she whispered. "Head to the stacks,"

"**You got it,"** Toothless sped up faster than the wind and headed west.

* * *

Behind the biggest stack on the far outskirt of the west of Berk, Tifespike had a wings claws nailed a bit into the rocks. Her rider clung his legs tight around her neck and even hooked an arm around one of her head horns so he wouldn't fall and dangle backwards. Tifespike didn't mind. Just as long as he didn't pull too tight.

Sigmund waited patiently, shading his eyes with his spare head. He suddenly heard sonic waves of sounds into his ears. He knew what it was.

"It's Toothless girl," he whispered.

"His chasers have no idea what's coming," Tifespike crooned. She steered her head and she saw a few Tifespinners poking their heads from their hiding spots from the other sea stacks.

Sigmund raised up his hand, signal ready. The sonic hearing grew louder. Toothless was rocketing closer, and closer, and closer…

Toothless soared into sight, just pass Sigmund and Tifespike's hiding spot. Then the group of crystal dragons.

"Fire!" Sigmund shouted, slamming down his hand. All at the once the Tifespinners including Tifespike blew ghastly balls of green fire. Hester felt her eyes burn with power as she focused the Dragofleur's energy on the fireballs. Red fiery energy surrounded the fire balls and as they struck some of Rafashfear's soldiers, they were immediately blown to pieces.

The second managed to dodge everything. But he watched helpless as a baby dragon as all his comrades were blown to pieces from the combination of fire and the Dragofleur's immense energy.

He tried to fly off, but he was suddenly surrounded by the Tifespinner pack, Tifespike and Sigmund.

The Tifespinner Alpha growled. "You shall pay for destroying our island! Tifespinners fire!"

The Tifespinner's fired all at once on the lonely second and Hester manipulated the fire until it completely engulfed the crystal dragon. She closed her fist as he was encaged inside the acid fire. It turned a boiling red and then she released her fingers and Boom!

The second was gone. Kaboom!

"That's Phase 1 done Hester!" Sigmund called proudly over to her.

"Oh right! Now for Phase 2!" she shouted.

They flew off together and the Tifespinners flew behind them.

* * *

Rafashfear sent dozens of his crystal creatures upon the village. The crystal creatures were surprised to see that no one was standing up at the village.

Garsir came crying out loud in battle-mode on his dragon. Skullbones growled, so did his pack of female friends. They didn't fire. Instead they used a tactic that they hadn't thought of.

They bashed the crystal creatures into one another with their mace-end tails. They were bad bruised crashing into one another. They broke their bones and scratched their wings and they were sent plunging into the sea below. Their crystal hides caused them to sink below the water into the deep.

"Yeah Ha!" Garsir boomed in triumph. He patted his dragon's face side.

"**Great job ladies,"** Skullbones complimented the females who all crooned at him back.

"**It was nothing,"** one replied.

"**Anything we'd do if one of us can have you as a mate," t**he other wooed.

"Looks they'll be swooning over you," Garsir teased his dragon.

The group flew over to meet up with Hester, Sigmund, Toothless and the Tifespinners. Already half of the army was done for.

"Phase 2 done!" Garsir shouted. "Phase 3 now!"

* * *

Rafashfear bellowed with rage when he realised that half of his army had already fallen, seeing as how they were still alive. He roared and lead his army towards the island.

On their dragons, the Berkian Riders including the teens sat upon their dragons. They saw Garsir, Hester and Sigmund approaching on their dragons.

"They're alive!" Astrid squealed out. "Thank Thor!"

Down below Stoick and Gobber saw that the Trio and their dragons and their allies were safe.

"Thank Thor," Gobber breathed.

"I can't believe that they're alive and that it's working," Stoick breathed out, breathless from his daughters' thinking.

"Your daughter surely is a natural," Gobber murmured with wonder.

"She surely is,"

Up above, Fishlegs squealed out: "I can't believe it's actually working,"

"It is indeed – brother," Sigmund addressed.

"Did you just…he just called me brother! He just called me brother!" Fishlegs squealed out like an ecstatic child. He had never been called 'brother' before by his little bro. This was extraordinary. It was…

"Focus Fishface!" Snotlout shouted, irritated by his excited manner, in the middle of a battle. "We still have a dragon to destroy!"

"Okay! Okay!" Fishlegs calmed himself and his occasional nemesis down. "Just excited that I'm being called brother by Sigmund,"

"Yeah. Like he never called you that all," Tuffnut said over.

"Guys!" Astrid snapped. "Are we seriously discussing family right now whilst we're fighting?"

"Look!" a Viking up above called.

All the teens turned and saw Rafashfear approaching just behind the cliffs of the island. His might head overlooked the village. It was terrifying.

"**See how we've just wiped out half your army?"** Hester dared the fiery daemon with bold eyes. **"See how powerful we are? This is your last chance to leave if you want to live!"**

"**Never! Fire!"** Rafashfear commanded.

"Fire!" Hester bellowed.

"Fire!" the boys roared.

"Fire!" Astrid commanded.

All the dragons fired together as one. Hester channelled the energy of the Dragofleur in her veins. Fire blasts, Lava blasts, Gas blasts were encircled by forces of red energy and as they fired onto the crystal dragons they were blasted to pieces. It was working. The crystal dragons tried firing back with their firepower, but accurately the dragons dodged, and they charged at them in aerial mode, their riders crying out battle cries whilst wielding weapons.

The dragons charged and struck one another down. The teens joined in the fight.

It was terrifying for them. It was breath-taking for them. It was experiencing near deaths for the first time. But they were brave, they were bold. They had their dragons to protect each other.

Their dragons shot the creatures down and Hester managed to amplify their power.

For ages, this fighting came went on. Stoick and Gobber fired boulders at the crystal dragons to stun them, long enough for their allies to overpower them.

Rafashfear tried firing at them, but together the Tifespinner pack used the spikes on their wings and their spinning technique to wipe out most of his eyes. He roared in pain as every eyeball was swiped out until one remained in the middle on the left side.

Toothless had manged to blast down the final one with a plasma blast. The crystal creatures were no more. Everybody cheered as they were gaining victory in this battle and finally winning the war. But they still had Rafashfear to deal with.

"Everybody! Follow my lead! We're goanna try and get him us! And when he opens his mouth, fire everything you've got into it!" Hester commanded. Everyone obliged, nodding their heads.

"Time to finish this bud,"

"**Let's do it,"** Toothless narrowed his eyes.

He flew towards Rafashfear's face. Rafashfear narrowed his single eyes. He readied his mouth to fire.

"Wait for it. Wait for it," Hester whispered.

The riders were scared, soaring right towards the mouth of a monstrous dragon. But they had to trust Hester. She was their leader, their hero, their expert on dragons.

Rafashfear raised his jaws.

"Now!" Hester roared.

Toothless, Tifespike, Skullbones, Stormfly, Hookfang, Meatlug and Barf and Belch fired together as a team into the giant jaws into the giant mouth of Rafashfear. His gullet lit up. The dragons kept firing and firing into his mouth until they reached their shot limits. It seemed like he was goanna explode…but he didn't.

_That's impossible. _Hester was shocked. _It worked on his mother. Why didn't it work on him? _

"Uh – is something supposed to happen?" Ruffnut questioned, her voice sounded as if she was confused.

"What's happening?!" Sigmund screamed.

"Why didn't it work?!" Garsir freaked.

"**Nice try! But I am far more powerful than you take granted for! Far more powerful than my mother! No fire inside me can destroy me! Those crystal dragons gave me power to make my insides fire-proof! You know there's only one way to destroy me Hester. But you can't do it. Because you're NOTHING!" **

He flapped his wings. The dragons were blown backwards, out of the sky. They landed with painful thuds on the ground. The other Vikings on their dragons tried to help out. Rafashfear pulled back his wings and flapped at them, knocking them out too.

Toothless crashed into a catapult, gravely wounded whilst grabbing Hester from his saddle and wrapping her in her wings. Rafashfear destroyed the catapults with a slash of his magnificent wings and his bludgeon-like tail. A catapult collapsed on top of Toothless. Quickly he tightened his protective grip on Hester and allowed the falling pieces of wood to land on top of him.

He managed to crawl out and realise Hester's from his grip but he was wounded with bruises.

"Toothless!" Hester cried out, cradling her head filled of splinters and bruises. "It's okay. You're goanna be okay bud!"

She heard squirms of pain. She looked up to see her friends and their dragons gravely wounded from their fall. They were too weak to fight.

"Hester!" she heard her father running forward to her. He was limping on one leg which had blood spilling down from the graze on it.

Gobber sprinted to his son and cradled his weak body in his arms. "Why didn't it work?" he cried out.

"He's too powerful!" Hester cried out. "The crystal dragons made his impenetrable too powerful!"

Her plan had failed. She felt tears burning behind her eyes when she saw that every Berkian and their dragon wasn't strong enough to get back up and fight. She twisted her head and saw Rafashfear's cruel smile. She puffed silently through her nostrils and gritted her teeth and glowered with her heated eyes.

She didn't want it to come to this. But there was no choice. If dying meant they would live, then so be it. She took her stand much to everyone's confusion.

"Wait Hester! What are you doing?!" Sigmund freaked out.

"There's only one to end him! To ensure he doesn't win!"

"You can use too much power!" Stoick shouted, grabbing her arm.

"It'll kill you!" Fishlegs screamed.

"If I don't, we'll all dead! I'm not letting anyone else die! I have to do this!" Hester was bold but too stubborn to back down.

"No please! There's got be another way!" Sigmund pleaded.

"Guys!" Astrid freaked out. She pointed upwards.

Rafashfear was raising his head preparing to fire. His fire would engulf the whole village in flames, until there was nothing left, but ash, and dust, and bones.

"He'll goanna fire!" Stoick shouted.

Hester knew this was her chance. Before anyone could stop her or pull her away, she turned to the crowd and proclaimed to everyone except her best friends: "I forgive you all!" She then turned and sprinted towards the end of the cliffs.

"Hester stop!" Stoick pleaded. He tried running after her, but he fell from his leg injury. Toothless tried as well but he was too injured too. All the dragons were.

But Hester was running. She was running as well as her legs would carry her. Rafashfear saw her running up. He halted his fire. He smirked. "So, have you come to recklessly kill me!"

"To destroy you!" Hester roared. She had just reached the end of the cliff. She took a mighty leap, taking the position of a crazy Viking girl about to punch Rafashfear with her mighty power.

Rafashfear opened his mouth and she landed inside his mouth. Then…Snap! He shut his jaws hard and tight.

"Nooooooo!" everybody screamed and shrieked.

"**Hester!"** Toothless roared, not caring about his safety but the safety of his 'sister'.

Inside the mouth, Hester closed her eyes and concentrated her power as far as her mind could go. As she did, pictures of the people she loved appeared in her head, flying around like dragons in her brain.

Sigmund and Garsir playing with her.

Toothless singing to her as he rocked her to sleep.

Gobber teaching her how to craft and invent cool things.

Stoick cupping her cheek…him rocking her to sleep as a baby…. him showing her the island when she was a toddler.

Her and all the teens fighting together, like a team, like a group of friends with no rivalry, no resentment.

The massive group she had back in the cove with her best friends, Toothless and their dragons.

She was glad she had lived a life which was now worth dying for. She felt the red energy illuminate and burn her body. Then, as she spread her arms out, she felt a sudden…Flash!

Rafashfear's body glowed red, it started to rip him apart. "Ahhh!" he screamed in pain. Soon his eyes burnt red, his wings started withering away, suddenly there was a might BLAST!

A ginormous red explosion engulfed the atmosphere. Everyone fell back off their feet as the red cloud of dust covered everything.

A moment passed…

Everyone cringed with pain as they stood up. The red dust cleared from the village. The dragons were able to regain some strength and use their wings to blow away the cloud. As they could see the view of the island again, Rafashfear was no longer there. He had blown up, vamoosed into nothingness.

The Berkians gasped. They fell on their knees or knuckles from shock.

It was done.

His reign of terror was over.

But it had cost Hester, it had cost them her life.


	23. A Happy Ending and a New Beginning

**Note to say. I do not own the song in this chapter. Disney Channel does. **

* * *

**A Happy Ending and a New Beginning: **

Hester felt her mind switching on and off. She felt her head spinning, then, it relaxed. It became at ease. She felt a strange light motivating them to widen. She opened them. She felt herself in a white space, there was no solid ground. But she felt like she was lying on it. She stood up. Where was she? Shouldn't she be dead? In eternal sleep? Was this Valhalla? It didn't look like it. There were no gods, no Valkyries, no other spirits of dead Vikings.

"You have done it Hester," a voice from behind her spoke slowly, so as not to scare her.

Hester turned around. She saw Thor, the god of Thunder. He was draped in his royal robes and bore his silver winged helmet on his head. "Welcome the void between worlds," he spoke, coming towards her. "The void where mortals come to see us gods in times of necessity,"

"Why am I here? Shouldn't I be dead?" Hester asked.

"Yes. And no," a new voice loomed.

Hester turned and saw Odin approaching her and his eldest son, in golden robes and carrying his staff.

"This magical flower has the ability to bring one to the Void between worlds at the moment of death. For years it has never served a purpose until now,"

"Lord Odin," Hester kneeled down with respect. "All father,"

"Rise," he inquired, his voice soft as a feather. "You need not bear the need to bow down to me, not when you have completed a great deed, a deed that nobody in the mortal world could ever have done. You brought peace between dragons and Vikings. And you defeated the misguided Red Death and her son. You are a hero Hester, a hero who will be remembered for her courage and her compassion for years and years to come,"

"I didn't do it by myself great Odin," Hester addressed respectfully. "I couldn't have done it without Toothless. Or Sigmund, or Garsir, or their dragons, not without anyone on Berk,"

"You may had done it all together," Thor spoke this time. "But it was you who brought the protentional of peace to the mortal world, the one who bought together when we couldn't because of the covenant we made with the Dragon Spirits, the one who did something no one ever thought possible,"

"But I only defeated Rafashfear because of the Dragofleur," Hester didn't want to take the credit for all the power she had in her veins from an ancient dragon flower, not when that power could have been given to anyone else.

"But you had the worthiness to use its power. Others would have used it for great evil or to do wickedness. You however, are beyond anyone," Odin's words were wise and they gave Hester a deep confidence of her inner-self. "It is not time for you to die yet. You still have many deeds awaiting you back in your world. Your destiny has just begun,"

The idea of 'destiny has just begun' made Hester feel pale. She felt her heart hammering scarcely in her chest and her throat tightening. She didn't like the idea of having the responsibility of her people and perhaps anymore beings on the world on her shoulders. It was hard enough for her to lead her island against Rafashfear, but against more foes in the future that might be more powerful or more intelligent? She didn't like the idea.

"Do not bare these burdens by yourself Hester Haddock," Thor came again, his words gifting the special girl wisdom just like his father's. "As you said it yourself, you have your dragon, your best friends, your island…they will stand by your side and be around to help and guide you,"

"Just as we will," Odin vowed.

Hester felt the pressure on her shoulders lighten; she still couldn't neutralise her unsettled gut's feeling.

"Do no worry Hester. We will be with you," Thor promised. "Now it is time to return to your world,"

The Void began to glow a burning yellow and Hester could no longer see Thor or Odin. She shut her eyes tight. "Remember that you are not alone," Odin's voice echoed in her ears. "Remember," the single word echoed in her ears as the light consumed her. She no longer felt their presence. She felt her being transformed from death to life.

* * *

Everyone sank on their knees on Berk, heartbroken, saddened, tearful. Hester had saved them once again. Only this time she would not be coming back.

Toothless cried and roared out in pain. The boys hugged their dragons who nuzzled their dragons. The other teens did too.

"I can't believe she's gone. This time for good," a remorse Stoick cried.

A snivelling Gobber said: "She was so brave. She should be remembered by generations to come. We all are alive and safe now because of her,"

"But she's dead Gobber," Astrid wept. "And we're alive. How is it fair that those of us who did nothing get to live whilst she who did everything dies? It should have been one of us instead,"

"That's it, Astrid," Garsir struggled to catch his breath as he spoke over to her. "There's no one who is selfless as Hester,"

"Actually, I might beg to differ," a certain voice spoke. The crowd gasped, frozen as if they had just seen a ghost. They twisted their heads. They couldn't see anyone. The voice came from above their heads.

"Was that a ghost?" Snotlout looked as if he was about to scream like a girl.

"Yes it is," the voice mocked.

Snotlout screamed and jumped into Fishleg's legs.

"Ghosts don't exist!" Ruffnut cried out, hugging onto both her brother and Barf's head.

"Yes they do!"

"Ahh!" both twins screamed.

All the Vikings and dragons were scared. It really was a ghost. Or was it something else?

A beam of light ascended from the sky. Everyone looked up. Those nearest to the beam stubbled back.

A figure was descended down like a Valkyrie on a Pegasus. It touched the bottom. The light disappeared. It was Hester. She was healed, no wounds, no injuries. She was just as pretty as she had looked.

Nobody moved.

"What's the hold up? You've all looked like you've seen a ghost," Hester joked.

"Hester!" everyone screamed sprinting towards her. Hester was engulfed in a tight group hug by her best friends and their dragons. Then she was licked all over by her dragon. Even the teens gave her a big bear hug each, much to her surprise. Gobber embraced her and she saw how elated everyone was to see her. They praised her, they cheered and clapped as they were celebrating that her sacrifice to save them all had not cost her her life.

Stoick came forward softly as he proudly smiled at her for everything she had done. When Hester noticed him, she actually smiled at him with a cheesy face.

"You saved us all Hester," Stoick spoke, his tone radiating of waves of proudness. "I'm so, so, so, proud of you. Your mother would be proud of you too," she cupped her cheek again and she held it close again. Toothless gummy-smiled at him, no longer seeing him as a threat but as a loyal friend.

"What was it that you wanted to finish back there?" Hester asked, remembering their earlier conversation before Sigmund accidently interrupted it.

"I just…I was wondering if perhaps…if perhaps you'd be willing to start over with me. Will you give me a chance to be the father you want me to be?"

Hester remained quiet for a bit.

Stoick seemed to expect it. He turned away. "It's okay. I understand if you…"

"I am dad if you are," Hester interrupted.

Stoick looked up at her, shocked by her decision. There was no anger or resentment in her tone, there was love, there was need, there was hope.

"I want us to move forward. I want us to be a better family. It's time we all moved on past our grudges and let the past be. The future is what matters!" her speech not just to her father, but also to everyone in the village inspired them to look ahead and not think of their wrongdoings.

Stoick smiled. He then said something his daughter had never heard him say to her. "I love you Hester,"

His tearful daughter responded back: "I love you too dad," she threw her arms around her father's chest and embraced him for the first time in her life. Stoick pulled her tighter against this chest and kissed her head.

Everybody around them clapped and their dragons roared with praise.

Sigmund and Garsir smiled proudly, thrilled that Hester finally had a loving father. They fist-bumped together and stroked their dragons.

Toothless joined in with the father-daughter embrace and wrapped his wings around them. He licked Stoick's face and he laughed with delight whilst his daughter giggled happily.

Later that day, once all the dragons had cleared away all the damage and the children and mothers were safely returned, a grand party was held that evening to celebrate their victory. A fire was lit in the centre, some lanterns were lit up and hung around the village, a band of Vikings played a merry melody. Hester began to sing to the melody as she and her extended family began to party all together to celebrate their victory.

**Hester: **

"_We've done a lot__  
__Faced who knows what__  
__Still though we're not quite through yet__  
__We have so much to do yet__  
__More than a thing or two yet_

_There's wounds we must heal__  
__Plans to make real__  
__Watch us and we'll do wonders__  
__Sure we might make some blunders__  
__We'll face them all head on"_She held hands with Sigmund and Garsir and they danced around bringing everyone else with them. Hester actually danced with her father for a bit, Garsir linked his arms with his dad and even a surprised Astrid and they skipped around, Sigmund did the same with his brother and his father.

"_We'll rise hand in hand__  
__And rebuild this land__  
__We're ready to stand and roar"_

Toothless roared into the sky and his voice echoed over the village. The other dragons joined in with him.

_"Will we give up? No, never!__  
__We're stronger than ever before"__  
__  
_**Sigmund:**_  
__"We've made mistakes"_

**Garsir:**_  
__"Had some bad breaks"__  
__  
_**Sigmund and Garsir:**

"_That only makes us tougher"_

**Garsir:**  
_"Now when the road gets rougher"_

**Sigmund:**_  
__"Frankly, we'll barely suffer"_

**Hester:**_  
__"Cause though we've been burned__  
__What have we learned?"_

**Sigmund and Garsir:**_  
__"Victory is earned not given"_

**Hester**_**:**__  
__"We shape the world we live in"_

**Sigmund and Garsir:**_  
__"We're what we'll build upon"__  
__  
_**Hester, Sigmund and Garsir**_**:**__  
__"The war may be won__  
__But still, we're not done__  
__We've only begun to soar"__  
_

As they sang, they mounted their dragons and flew in sparingly circles above the village.

**Sigmund:**_  
__"Bolder"_

**Garsir:**_  
__"And far more clever__"_

**Hester, Sigmund and Garsir:**  
_"And stronger than ever before"_

Down below the villagers sang and danced around with Astrid leading them all with her beautiful voice.

**Astrid:**  
_"There's year yet to go__  
__How far, we don't know__  
__But we can do so much more"__  
_  
**Hester:**  
_"Onto the next endeavour"__  
_  
**Everyone:**  
_"We're stronger than ever"_

**Hester:**  
_"We'll never say never"_

**All:**  
_"We're stronger than ever before"_

The dragons fired into the sky, creating a miraculous firework display that made the sky boom and voom and create a colour spectrum. This was a day of which would be celebrated. The day when ultimate peace was brought by destroyed the family of dragons who sewed the conflict between Viking-kind and dragon-kind.

Hester was happy, joyfully happy that she now had the one thing she had always wanted in her life. A father's acceptance. And most importantly, a father's love. Stoick finally loved her for who she was. He would never again judge her, lecture her, or worse not seem to love ever again. Berk with bright with joy as it now had its heir back home.

She was finally accepted by the village for who she was. From now on, she would no longer have to be looked at with growls and scowls but care and compassion. They looked up to her as a hero, an idol, an expert in dragons and a leader who could guide them into a better, greater future.

The Tifespinner pack were welcomed onto Berk. Thanks to Sigmund's guidance, dozens of Vikings who didn't have dragons trained the Tifespinners. They made such compassionate companions like the other dragons. Flora herself trained a red Tifespinner, who turned out to be Tifespike's brother. He was name Teerclaw. He loved the name. Stifflegs meanwhile gained a Gronkle like Fishlegs and named him Gobrocks. Like Meatlug he was adorable, but he was braver and more stoic at times. Nonetheless he was an adorable member of Ingerman family.

"I'm just so glad that we're back and everyone's happy now," Hester said, lying against Toothless.

The group of six were relaxing on a cliff overlooking the prosperous Berk. It was magnificent seeing dragons and Vikings together. They were flying around the island, feeding each other fish, playing around together…. they were doing everything that two worlds united in peace and care should do. What could possibly be greater than two worlds coexisting together?

"I'm so happy we found our own dragons," Sigmund spoke as he was sitting next to Tifespike's chin and affectionately scratching it which she loved. "I'm glad you and your pack are staying with us girl. It's better being on a bigger island with more people and dragons to have for company right girl?"

"**Yep,"** Tifespike crooned.

"I guess that trip out there really was worth something," Garsir laid his back against Skullbones's neck. "We surely had a great adventure out there. I wonder if any more adventures wait upon the horizon,"

As he was napping a bit, Toothless noticed that Hester seemed a little quiet. **"Are you okay Hester?"**

"I'm okay bud," she told him. "I'm just…I'm just curious. I'm wondering if there are any other supernatural forces out there. If the Dragofleur was real and it gave me these powers and those crystal dragons were real, are there any other forces of magic associated with dragons out there?"

Toothless seemed intrigued by Hester's thoughts. He had never heard of any dragon magic in his life? **"Whatever it is that may be out there, we will find it together,"** he promised looking into Hester's eyes. **"And anyone who's bad and who wishes to take you for your powers, I wil tear them limb from limb and never let any harm come to you," **

The group heard flapping and noticing Astrid flying up to them on Stormfly.

"Hay Astrid!" they waved.

Astrid seemed appalled by their greet. It was kind and friendly and not full of cynicism. Stormfly landed nearby and Astrid hopped off.

"Come to see the view with us?" Hester asked.

"Yep," Astrid answered quickly. Garsir however noticed a look in her eyes.

"Astrid, we know that look in your eyes," Garsir said. "You're not okay. You sound sad,"

"I just wondered…if perhaps…." she sighed. "I want to make amends for what I did. I'm sorry Hester and Garsir. I'm so, so, so sorry that I chose family honour and glory over friendship," She noticed that Hester and Garsir seemed not surprised by her apology but rather hopeful of it.

Ever since she had found them along with Sigmund and had convinced Hester to come back home, they had wondered if perhaps she wanted to make things right for the first time in years, that behind that icy heart she once had, there was still a warm speck of care for them.

You were right Garsir," she focused her gaze on Garsir. "I was putting my own wants over yours and Hester's. I was putting my desire for glory before you two, and in doing so I tore our friendship apart. That friendship was the one priority I had to be focused on. But I failed to see that," She looked at Sigmund this time. "And you were right as well Sigmund. You were right that I was blinded by own wants that I couldn't see that the difference between fake friends and real friends. You're so much wiser than me. And so much more worthy of their friendship than me," She finally turned her focus on Hester, the main teen she had to apologise to. "I'm sorry I said that you were 'nothing' Hester. I can now see that you are something. You were Viking-enough to hang out with. You were one of the real friends that I needed. But I was so concerned about my reputation that I never stopped to consider how you were feeling. I'm glad that you were chosen instead of me in training. Unlike me, you had compassion for friends, more compassion that I ever had,"

Astrid's words to each of them began to make the Trio see the apologetic look in her face.

"I know that I can't be your best friend again," Astrid said with remorse. "But can I still be…a friend?"

She looked as if she was expecting a 'No' or some sort of agitation. But instead she earned a 'Yes' from all three of them. She was surprised. "Really?"

"Of course," Garsir responded. "It's time to put the past behind us, and move forward,"

"Can you guys really forgive me?" she asked, bewildered by their willing forgiveness.

"Yes, we can Astrid. Besides, when you came out there looking for us, and you always supported us through this endeavour, we saw the Astrid that we missed earlier. The Astrid we wanted back as our friend again," For the first time since their friendship broke, Hester held a smile at Astrid. For the past few days she had seen a new side of Astrid, a completely different alternative to the arrogant insecure shieldmaiden she once saw her as.

"We're more than willing to have you back as a friend," Garsir spoke easily.

"You've learnt your lesson," Sigmund supported. "And you came to make amends with Hester and Garsir even though you knew they might not forgive you. If you want to be friends with us, then we shall accept,"

Astrid seemed to break out into tears a bit as she noticed their encouraging smiles. She was brought into a tight group hug by all three of them, one which she tightly accepted. The conflict between them was over. It was time to build bridges, this time stronger ones that would not be broken down by any wants above needs.

They all looked over the prosperous peaceful Berk together. It was a perfect sight, a perfect paradise of peace. As they gazed at it, a determination grew in their hearts, they were going to work together to ensure that this peace would last. No matter what enemies they may meet in the future who would try to destroy that peace, they would remain strong, just as long as they were together. For strength doesn't come from one individual with unique powers. It comes from numbers, and most importantly family and friends.

* * *

**There! All finished. Hope you all enjoyed it. I can't believe that my college as well as all the schools and universities is now on lock down, perhaps until September. As much as it feels great to have so much time doing more stories, I can't help but feels it's going to get a little bit bored for us all. Hope you all don't feel bored and enjoy all the free time you have. Look forward to hearing reviews from Gift of the Night Fury. See ya soon, happy free time everybody. **


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